Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!! 

Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it?  Yesterday was only December 1st!  Yet in the Christian Tradition, the first Sunday of Advent marks the start of a new year.  It is a time where we start from the beginning and retell the story of our ancestors waiting for the coming of the Messiah, longing for deliverance, hoping that they would be set free.

For 4 weeks, we gather to wait, to prepare and to anticipate the coming of the Christ-child.  We gather weekly to be reminded that in the midst of our isolation, in the overwhelming reality of daily life marked by a soul-crying prayer, "God, where are you?", we remember that God is not far off but is actively at work.

Yesterday, we explored Psalm 66.  Known for its beauty, it calls the whole earth to worship, the people of God to worship and the individual to worship.  In essence, it is a Psalm that leads us to worship fully! 

As the Christian New Year kicks off, perhaps this season is one that could marked by our decisions:
What if this year we decided to worship fully through Advent and rejoice on Christmas? 
What if this year we decided to make a priority the inner spiritual life? 
What if this year we believed that we are stronger when we are working together?
What if this year, we looked at our resources and asked through prayer and meditation, "How may I use these to bless others?" 

My hope for the New Year are a people that continue to awaken to the presence of God in our lives.  I hope that we become a people marked by a joy that is unwavering, a hope that unfailing, a love that is contagious and lives which are marked by the touch of the Spirit.  May this New Year be the best one yet!