EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the clergy leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., in November 2017, I've written a monthly column for our church newsletter. This column originally published in the January 2019 FLC Newsletter.
This time of year we are inundated with the thoughts of new beginnings.
The season of Advent reminds us Christians that we live in a time caught between the two comings of Christ. We are beyond our Savior’s birth, which ushered in a new age of change the likes of mankind has never seen, and the next time Christ will return, ushering in a new age again that will turn the world on its head. One of the fundamental things we celebrate in the season of Advent is the next coming, new the world that our scriptures promise us.
New beginnings. A new start.
And then Advent runs straight into Christmas, during which we celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. It’s a story that we hold dear to our hearts. The trusting young woman who will become Jesus’ mother. The trusting young man who will become Jesus’ father. The forced trip to the city of Bethlehem. Arriving and the young couple finding nowhere for them to stay, other than the barn out back. Then our Savior, the baby Jesus, being born in a manager, and ushering in a new age for all of humanity. … Things will never be the same: For Christians or anyone else.
New beginnings. A new start.
And then you have the New Year. Another time during which we celebrate all things new. A new start. A flipping of the calendar that presents so many possibilities for us. A new year in which to start new, healthier choices. A new year in which to get our financial house in order. A new year in which to mend broken relationships or find altogether new friendships. The possibilities are limitless! … And we seem to relish in those possibilities, regardless of what the outcomes will actually be.
New beginnings! … A new start!
New and exciting and it should all bring a smile to our faces!
But then again there is this year yet to complete, isn’t there? And there is that little bit of a lull from Christmas to New Years. Just a brief time in between the manic hysteria of all the activities that lead up to Christmas and the actual celebration of the flipping of the calendar. … Just a little, tiny bit of quiet. A little peace.
And I wonder what you will do with that brief little respite. I know it might sound odd coming from a person that has my kind of schedule. But even I will force myself to slow down a bit for the next couple of weeks. Shelley and I will be taking a small mini-vacation during this time. Just to get away. Hit the pause button. Recharge. Take in some reading, a couple of concerts, and some good food. … Just be. … And forget about the doing for a while.
I pray for the same for all of you. While this last month of the year certainly is an exciting time, a time that will build lasting memories and fuel good tidings among you and your kin. This frenetic time also is a good reminder that everything is better in balance. We need joyous celebrations in our lives, and we need sabbath as well.
And that is exactly what I am celebrating at the turn of this new year. … Here’s a toast to all the new and the exciting that we will all share together as a faith family here at Faith Lutheran Church in the coming year. … But also here is a cheers to the times that we take to relax and recharge and refresh.
Balance. Roundedness. … Wholeness. God wants that for us. You can see it written all over the scriptures. And with the dawn of the new year, I pray for nothing less for you. … Amen.
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