WORSHIP

As we stand on the edge

Of another bright new year,

I take your hand in mine

With assurance of

The courage we will find

And the hope that leads us on.

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- “We Toast the Days” composed by Linda Kachelmeier

 

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I’m drawn to the idea of liminal spaces. Those places on the edge of what has been and what is yet to come. Some call it a transition zone, or a watershed moment, when a drop of water could flow to this sea or to that. Whatever the metaphor, they are opportunities for deeper reflection and consideration. The new year offers up just such an opportunity. We reflect on what has come before, friends made or lost, accomplishments achieved and trials endured. We look now to the latter half of the decade, perhaps hopeful or fearful, optimistic or anxious. We look to a new year with perhaps only a hazy outline of what it will bring.

 

Whatever this new year brings, however it unfolds, I am heartened by the words and sentiment of the song above (a good listen on YouTube if you have a chance). We face this bright new year for all that it will bring good and bad, not alone but together. We find courage and hope in the promise that we are not alone. The lights of Christmas are already beginning to dim but the light they celebrate is the true light that shines in the darkness and is not overcome. It is a promise we carry with us long after the decorations have been packed away and the tree comes down. It is a promise that does not wane or waver that sees its fulfillment on Easter morning, the empty tomb, with death conquered and hope renewed.

 

But that story is for another season. Today, as we look out on what is to come, we can draw courage and strength from the assurance that we journey forth with the light of Christ, never alone. Blessings on your new year may it be a year filled with peace, hope, and above all, joy.

 

As Ever in Christ,

 

Pastor CJ