Greetings,
Happy New Year.
The New Year came in very quietly for Roberta and me. That is, we did not have our usual party with friends. We violated our long standing rule of not going anywhere on New year’s Eve. And Roberta jumped into the world of “texting” as she kept in touch with Brenda and Timothy as they observed the New Year in Times Square, New York.
We went to another unscheduled flight arrival at BWI Marshall, and as we expected, other than family members eager to greet their loved ones, there were not too many greeters there since the flight was unscheduled and it was New Year’s Eve. Typically, there was a lot of standing and waiting, this night prolonged by a broken belt on the luggage conveyor, which gave me plenty of time to contemplate the turning of the year. Regarding 2011, I chose to ignore the continual lying and ineptitude of Congress, the President, and politicians in general, and to not consider the replacing of tyrants and dictators with the tyranny of revolutionary groups replacing them. And by ignoring the continued folly of celebrities and sports figures and some so-called Christian leaders, I was able to rejoice in the many blessings of the year and the continued gifts of God for each of us, and realize that considering the things that really matter, it was a good year, filled with the blessings of God. It also seemed clear that 2012 is going to be an exciting year filled with the grace and blessings of God, and with the challenges before each of us to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for each of our lives. At the same time I am more than ever convinced that God has a great deal in store for all of us who are concerned with spiritual growth, both personally and in order to renew and revive the Church. There are great things happening, and a great deal more to come. The Spirit works in amazing ways to accomplish God’s purposes, and the revolution of the Church in America and of our whole society is, I believe, at the top of God’s agenda. God wants us to “save souls” and thus fulfill the mission of Christ for us.
Ben Franklin offered this toast: “Be at war with your voices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” He was obviously a great advocate of spiritual growth.
In The United Methodist Book of Worship (# 294) there is a prayer for New Year’s.
Creative God, you make all things new in heaven and on earth.
We come to you in a new year with new desires and old fears,
new decisions and old controversies,
new dreams and old weaknesses.
Because you are a God of hope,
we know that you create all the possibilities of the future.
Because you are a God of love,
we know that you accept all the mistakes of the past.
Because you are the God of our faith,
we enter your gates with thanksgiving and praise,
we come into your presence with gladness and a joyful noise,
and we serve and bless you. Amen.
Just as Tennyson’s Ring Out Wild Bells has become traditional for New Year’s Eve, this excerpt from Minnie Louise Haskins’ Desert (1908) has been used constantly for the New Year since George VI quoted it in his 1939 Christmas broadcast.
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
King George’s nation was already at war. We Christians today are more aware than has been so for many, many years that we are very much at war also, against the forces of evil and the opposition or, perhaps even worse, the indifference of our society. We are very much in need of going forth in the Way of God. It is also very true that we have the opportunity to put our hands into the Hand of God.
May it be so for each of us.
Yours & His,
DED
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