A Prayer Following the First Sunday After Christmas

Holy and gracious God,

We give you thanks for the quiet grace you offered us this past Sunday. In the stillness after Christmas, you met us with a tenderness we needed more than we knew. You reminded us that the Word became flesh not for a moment, but for a lifetime. You chose to dwell with us, to remain with us, and to walk beside us in every season.

We thank you for the light that settled among us, not loud or overwhelming, but steady enough to guide our steps. We thank you for the comfort of familiar faces, for the prayers we carried together, and for the gentle hope that rose in our hearts as we worshipped.

As we move through these days between Christmas and the New Year, help us to carry the peace of that Sunday with us. Let the mystery of the Incarnation continue to unfold in our ordinary lives, in our conversations, in our quiet moments, and in the places where we feel stretched or uncertain.

Strengthen us to be a community that reflects your presence: patient, compassionate, attentive to one another’s needs. Teach us to trust the slow work of your Spirit, just as the child Jesus grew slowly, quietly, faithfully.

And as we step toward the year ahead, may the light we received this past Sunday shine gently in us and through us, a reminder that you are already there, dwelling with us, guiding us, and holding us in love.

In the name of the Christ who came and stayed.

Amen.