A New Year

I have just hung a 2013 calendar on the wall.  It currently has no appointments recorded in the spaces and only indicates the special days and holidays. I’m wondering what this new year will hold.  What will fill the empty spaces on my personal calendar that records another chapter of my life and what transformational events await?  What decisions will I make, actions will I take that will impact others? There is no crystal ball upon which to gaze, for life is filled with uncertainties.

It has been said, “Life is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present.” As a new year begins we need to acknowledge the gift that every day represents and consider how to use our gift(s) to the fullest.  The idea of developing a list of “resolutions” this time of year causes us to consider what we want to do differently – how we want to live life more fully.  While resolutions may be helpful, I find that they rarely last.  I believe a new year challenges us with a more important exercise, as we address this question:  “What more do we want to accomplish?” For me this is a faith question that challenges me to examine my life in relationship to the Presence offered through faith.

An elderly church member once told me about her prayer life.  She indicated that she began each day in prayer by asking, “Lord, what would you have me do today?” We begin to find an answer to that question when we pause from the ordinary and routine, and the demands and expectations imposed upon us to listen for the ”still small voice” as God speaks. 

 

We are never too old to dream dreams of a preferred future and our role in it.  Indeed, the new year ushers in the beginning of another chapter of our individual legacies.  My hope is that each of us will enter this coming New Year with assurance that God goes before us preparing the way, and still offers us guidance and strength to face each day.  As we respond to the opportunities of faith living, may we be found faithful.    

When Christmas Comes

When Christmas comes, we embrace the angelic message of what God has done on our behalf.  We seek to live the "Christ message" and reflect the light of Christ in a dark world.  Christmas reminds us that Jesus' purpose in life was to address the needs of others. When Christmas comes, we think more about others needs than ourselves, and focus on giving, rather than receiving. Christmas comes when we open our hearts to the transforming power of God's love.

When Christmas comes, it holds more than the "merriness" of seasonal parties and personal pleasures. When Christmas comes, family and relationships with friends have deeper meaning and the sight of children and loved ones opening presents becomes special.  Memorable moments are created:  joy, laughter, fulfillment and calm within our souls.  When Christmas comes, it doesn't mean all is right with the world, but that all is better in "our world."  It doesn't mean we will always experience "silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright," but that there will be glimmers of light at the end of the sometimes dark tunnels of our journey.

 

Christmas comes whenever we have hope in times of despair, experience calm in times of anxiety, allow the gift of peace to overcome times of distress and discord, find joy in life's blessings, and replace indifference with acts of love and compassion.  Christmas comes when we keep faith with the dream of "peace on earth, good will toward all."   May Christmas come for you every day!      

The Promise

In this age of self-reliance, high tech, and constant desire for possessions, it's difficult for the historic “Christ event” to touch people's lives with meaning. Yet in times as these the story of the birth of Jesus once again attempts to penetrate and illumine lives. It is even difficult for people of faith to stay focused on the reason for the season and not succumb to the “ways of the world” and the commercialization that attempts to drown out the real message.

The story of Christmas begins in the Old Testament with the prophets proclaiming hope and expectancy that one day the Messiah would come. Once again we celebrate that fulfilled promise. The miracle of God’s love was revealed in the birth of a child in Bethlehem. The Apostle John expressed it this way: “The word became a human being and lived among us, full of grace and truth. And we have beheld his glory.” The good news is that God’s promise to humanity has been fulfilled for all time!

During Advent we prepare to celebrate the fulfillment of God's greatest promise. As we celebrate, our hope is that Christ will be born anew in our hearts as we claim God’s promise through faith. The focus of this season isn't about our agenda, but God's agenda for us. It's not about what we want, but what God wants for us. It's not even about what we do, but what God has already done on our behalf. The promise is best expressed in the word Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

Perhaps an expression from a modern Christmas story sums it up best. A youngster playing the part of the angel announces Jesus’ birth with genuine excitement says, “Boy, have I got good news for you! God has kept his promise.”

As we observe this Advent/Christmas season, let us continue to do so in hope and expectancy, so that the miracle of Christmas can happen once again in our lives. May the light of Christ shine brightly before us to illumine our paths, and through us, so that those who walk in darkness may see the light of Christ and discover the hope, peace, joy and love which Christmas offers.