Future grace

Faithful and gracious Father, give us grace in this year that we may

forget - what lies behind,
strain forward - to what lies ahead;
holding true - to what we have already attained.

May we press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

May we count whatever gain we had in the world's eyes (or in our own)
as loss for the sake of Christ.
In fact, may we count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake may we be ready to suffer the loss of all things
- and count them as rubbish!

In order that we maygain Christ and be found in him
because we don't have any righteousness of our own before you,
but that which comes from you through trust in Christ to all who trust.

May this be, so that we may
know him and the power of his resurrection,
and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
that by any means possible we may attain the resurrection from the dead.

For we pray in Jesus' name.