A New Year’s Message from Pastor Christine

The New Year is here! Advent is over, although 12th day and The Epiphany are still on the way and the Nativity of the Lord is just the beginning for us.

     As we look toward the new year it is surely another year when some, if not all of us, have joints that ache and groan a little more. Even so, we are often reminded that the innocent blessings of our youth are still with us, forming the images of what comes next should look like. Those blessings live in the vivid memories of Christmases past. Even Ebenezer Scrooge had an epiphany when, in his despair and loneliness, his sister Belle appeared into his darkness and brought a great light saying, “Father has sent me to get you and bring you home!” It was unexpected and joyful and the reminder of the moment sparked the first sign of the Hope that had been long—time pushed into the recesses of his anger and disappointment in mankind.

     It is not at all surprising that we celebrate the New Year so close to the birth of Jesus. There is a comfort and quiet in the week between Christmas and the New Year that feels like restful peace, personified.  It marks the renewal of a journey for each one of us; sets a starting point for things that we may want to either improve upon, or leave in the rearview mirror. I like to look at the 1^st day of another year as a mark of success and a personal epiphany as a moment of revelation or insight. To be sure, it is a time to be hopeful. Life is about change. If we are not changing and growing, we are dying. Life is transient even for those of us who have comfortable homes, steady jobs, enough food on the table, and love all around us.

     As a pastor, I ask you to look toward this new year as a time of personal reflection upon achievable goals. Do not place upon yourself unrealistic expectations. Do not dwell upon failures of the past. Choose for yourself ways to excel, focusing on making better those things that you are already good at. These are gifts from God and sharing those gifts with others is the true expression of your discipleship. Find ways to extend loving kindness and generosity to those who need it. Be the light that reveals God’s promise of love for everyone. Just perhaps, you can be the spark that ignites an epiphany in someone that you meet. Walk in the path of Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide you in all that you do. Happy New Year!                                                   Pastor Christine Burns