Lord God, you made your blessed Son, our Savior, subject to the Law to shed his blood on our behalf. Grant us the true circumcision of the spirit that our hearts may be made pure from all sin; through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Today is New Year's day and today is the Circumcision of our Lord, the eighth day of Christmas. One thing we sometimes do not realize, but needs to be pointed out, is that Christ's work was finished at the cross, but the first blood he shed for us was not on Good Friday, but the day of his circumcision. The prayer for today points that out well. He began atoning for our sins not on Good Friday but eight days after he was born. May God bless you all in this New Year.