The service begins with a five-minute peal of bells, or possibly with a Millennium fanfare. During this a large candle may be lit from one of the small candles used to bring in the Millennium at midnight.

After the peal or fanfare a minister says:

  With joy we welcome a New Year and a new millennium.
  We stand in the presence of the Lord of Time,
  the one through whom all creation exists.
  We inherit the achievements and failures of those who have gone before us;
  We stand with all with whom we share the future.

Short silence

  Jesus, Lord of Time, you proclaimed God's Jubilee.
  Jesus, dying for our sins, you create a new humanity,
  set free from guilt and division, sharing the hope of a new creation.
  Receive the joy of this day and our gratitude for the good things of the past;
  Release us from the sins that bind and divide us today:
  Restore the creation whose future we share;
  Set our feet on the path of freedom.

  A thousand years in God's sight are like a single day
  Like an evening that has already gone.

  You are the first and the last
  The beginning and the end.

  You stand at the door and knock;
  Lord Jesus, enter our homes and our lives.

  You hold the key to God's way of justice.
  Open to us your kingdom of peace.

One of the Millennium hymns

Reading Luke 10. 25-37

Prayers

O Jesus Christ, you are the stranger who rescues us, the neighbour who binds up our wounds; Help us to see you in those around us and to find in serving others a new way of living. We ask this through your suffering on the cross and the power of your unending love. Amen.

Jesus, our neighbour and our hope, bless the life of this [community/city/town.] Give us wisdom and kindness, creativity and generosity. May your freedom and love be present in our streets and our homes. Touch our lives with the joy of your kingdom. Amen.

Living Christ, you have opened a door in heaven for us, that we may receive God's mercy and enjoy His friendship; Keep in your mercy all whom we love and bring us at the last to the life of glory. Amen.

A Prayer for the Third Millennium.
This prayer was written by Anna Crompton of Ipswich High School, Suffolk. It was one of dozens of entries submitted by secondary schools and colleges throughout the United Kingdom. It would be appropriate for the prayer to be said by a young person.

Dear Lord our heavenly Father,
At the dawn of a new millennium,
In a world of darkness give us your light,
In lands of war and prejudice grant us peace,
In a world of despair give us hope,
In a world of sadness and tears show us your joy,
In a world of hatred show us your love,
In a world of arrogance give us humility,
In a world of disbelief give us faith.
Give us courage to face the challenges of
Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless and healing the sick.
Give us the power to make a difference in your world, and to protect your creation.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The prayers conclude as follows:
(The first prayer may be said together.)

Jesus, Lord of Time, hold us in your eternity.
Jesus, Image of God, travel with us the life of faith.
Jesus, Friend of Sinners, heal the brokenness of your world.
Jesus, Lord of Tommorrow, draw us into your future. Amen.

In the hope of God's kingdom, we pray as Jesus taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory
For ever and ever. Amen.

The door is opened. The congregation turns to face the door.

  To a troubled world
  Peace from Christ.

  To a searching world
  Love from Christ.

  To a waiting world
  Hope from Christ.

All may leave singing a song or hymn.