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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York

Good morning and happy new year!

We count the years from the birth of Christ. Each New Year is, therefore, the anniversary of a new beginning; the new beginning that was the turning point of history; the moment that everything changed and the journey of life, which ended in death, became the holy pilgrimage which leads, though life and death, to life eternal.

This is the year 2025. And the first day of a New Year even more especially a time to begin again, to dream afresh, and try and be the best we can, the very best version of ourselves.

And whether it is returning to the gym, learning Spanish, phoning a friend or losing weight, all our New Year’s resolutions gather these longings together.
We hope that we can change. We hope that we can be better. We hope the world can mend and flourish. We hope that our lives can mean something – and make a difference.

But here is the wisdom that we learn from the person whose birth changes things. We cannot be that best person on our own. We are made for community with God - and our hearts will always be restless until they find their rest in God. And because God is ‘ours’ not ‘mine’ then this also means new community with each other – and for the world.

And so I pray at this new beginning and on this New Year’s Day, Lord help me to know you and to love you; to find myself in you and become the person I am meant to be, and live my life in community with you the God who is community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the God who invite me in.

Amen.