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Happy New Year 2009!
New Beginnings: It is refreshing to know we can always begin again. God never gives up on us and is always present even when we do not realize it. Each New Christian Year we are called to begin again, to put on our traveling shoes and journey through Advent, Christmas and Epiphany seasons finding new beginnings, new hope and new opportunities along the way.
Our greatest gift is given when we arrive at the stable to meet the newborn Christ Child. We are reminded of the immense love God has for us with God’s self given gift of the incarnate Word. And there are other gifts to be found as well. Mary and Joseph show us their strong faith and radical obedience to God. The Wise Men show us the gift of how to be seekers of God’s truth and love and how to travel by another way carrying the light of Christ in our hearts as we return home.
New Beginnings: We ring in the New Year with another sense of new beginnings and the traditional opportunity to make some New Year resolutions. As Christians we have the opportunity to live into the New Year with the resolve that we will live out our Baptismal Covenant to an even greater extent. We can resolve to pray more, study Scripture more, attend Church more, offer our Christian gifts to others and live “greener” lives for the health of our environment.
New Beginnings: Our country will be inaugurating our new president, Barack Obama and he will bring in new staff and cabinet members. There is the new and the seasoned time and talent ready to face and act on the immense challenges our country and world face this year and beyond.
New Beginnings: Being required to watch our economy and finances closer gives us the opportunity to eliminate the wasteful spending, consuming and accumulating of materialistic goods. It exposes our priorities in life. We can learn to read more, spend more time with family and friends, and build on our Christian relationships. This relating includes the opportunity to reach out and help one another get through these difficult times.
This is the season of new beginnings and a time to renew the mission of the church and spread it’s light throughout the world.
May the Light of Christ shine in your hearts and in your lives!
New Beginnings: Other opportunities - If you would like to get involved with our Episcopal Public Policy Network here is a great website to visit: EPPN. Our EPPN advocates for our national Church's stand on numerous social justice and ethical issues.
Would you like to learn how to live a "greener" life style this year? In other words do more to help our environment? Here is a good web site to visit: Living Green.
Living out our Baptismal Covenant is our opportunity to allow the light of Christ
to shine into our lives and others:
Remember these words?
". . . Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will with God’s help . . ."
Book of Common Prayer, pg. 305
Pastor Sandra 