A New Year Begins --2019



On this the First Day of 2019, I wish you all a Happy New Year. A New Year brings with it a sense of new beginnings. The old has passed and the new is beckoning. Being a Dr. Who fan, I know that change comes in due time. Memories and realities of the past are taken into the new, but a new face is there to be beholden. We go forward, I pray, with a sense of hope. But, we go forward knowing the path will be difficult. We go into this new year feeling concerned about what the future holds. We know that here in the United States, there is considerable dysfunction in our governmental system, and there are questions about whether the foundations of our system will hold firm. We are divided people, with differing visions of what the nation should look like. The coming year will present us with possibilities and challenges as we consider what the nation will be. At the same time, while there is openness at home to authoritarianism, it is definitely on the rise elsewhere around the world. 

2019 will be an interesting year. Of course, one might say that every January 1, because the future is open. It's not been written. While that is true, we have a role in writing that future. We can let fear and anger determine the way we write the future, or we can write it with hope and compassion. The choice is ours. 

For a moment, however, may we pause and rest. Then, may we stop to give thanks for life and the opportunities that lie ahead.  Perhaps the word for us today comes from Hebrews 11:  "Now faith is the assurance of things for, the conviction of things not seen." If you read Hebrews 11, you know that this word about faith is not a passive one. It is a call to action. So, let us proceed in the company of God's presence. 

Comments

Popular Posts