Reflection
As another holiday season comes to a close, and we pack up the baubles and wreaths, I hope you can look back at the days of Christmas and identify the times when you truly knew God was with you.
We celebrate the God who came near and became one of us at Christmas and I wonder if you noticed him in the hustle and bustle or the quietness and loneliness this Advent.
Even now we can look back and search the ground for breadcrumbs God has scattered throughout the holidays. Sometimes we need the rear-view mirror to see more clearly.
The threshold of another year is a great time to do the same with the 365 days we have just lived. I encourage you to go back though your journal or photos and take note of the presence and work of God in your life. I am always surprised at how much I have forgotten as the months have passed.
It may be helpful to make a list of your glimpses of God in 2023.
With our arms full of last year’s graces, we enter 2024 with a confidence that the one who has been faithful in the past will continue to be so as we move into this new year.
Anticipation
At this time of year with the days stretching out before us—fresh and unmarked, full of potential —it is tempting to grab for all the tools and tips to ensure a good year.
Many years I would start with fresh boot straps and greater determination to be a better person, do more, aim higher. I would set my jaw, hoist up the bag of heavy expectations onto my shoulders and expect the year to look different. This year, I would tell myself, would be the one I would finally be disciplined and stick to my resolutions. It never did work and only produced a lot of shame over my perceived failure.
But I am starting to wonder if God extends to us an invitation to enter the new year relying on him more than our ability to be strong, or disciplined. To surrender to his provision and grace. God is more concerned about who we are becoming than the boxes on the to-do list we check off during the year.
I love these words penned by C.S. Lewis,
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Maybe all of our New Year’s plans and resolutions are made thinking of the little cottage, while God has something completely different in mind. He is looking for us to open the door and allow him to rearrange and renovate as he sees fit. This sounds more like living freely and lightly than my plans ever would.
Maybe our questions should be along these lines,
Where do I need to make room for God?
What do I need to release?
Can I trust that God has only good intentions for me?
More resources for reflection
This is a great reflection for the end of one year and the beginning of the next from Pete Greig (author and founder of Lectio 365)and can be found here.
I recently read this article about the concept of adoption into God’s family we often talk about in church circles. I found it challenging and sensitive to those who have been adopted. I encourage you to give it a read. Are all Christians adopted? | The Christian Century
What I am learning
I am taking a class through Open Table Conference on the book of Matthew and it has been wonderful. The teaching is top-notch and many times I have had my assumptions about a familiar passage challenged. Old stories have new layers of meaning. Also, the comradery and support the diverse teaching team modeled on screen is beautiful to witness. Across the Christian theological spectrum, they meet to discover together. It is refreshing to see in this world that has become more divided and siloed than ever.
This class has been an encouragement as I lead a group of parents who land indifferent places along the spectrum of belief regarding their LGBTQ kids. I find it deeply challenging to sit with others who also want to love their kid well but hold opposing views —it is teaching me to see the person right in front of me, and listen to their story rather than judging.
What I am keeping from 2023
Last year, I felt a pull to embrace delight. For those who choose a word of the year, this was my word. But I felt like I did not choose it but was invited into it instead.
Holding the idea of delight before me gave me permission to pursue it. I guess I never believed that this was a worthy pursuit —for some reason it felt indulgent and selfish, and definitely not holy. Somehow, I had adopted a kind of asceticism that asked me to give up good things, and designate all that involved pleasure or a heightening of the senses as evil. This was a by-product of teachings which separated sacred and secular, spiritual and physical. Last year proved to be a healthy correction to those erroneous and harmful beliefs.
I went after delight when I asked for my job at the local flower shop – every shift brings an opportunity to revel in and celebrate the beauty each blossom holds. Delight allows me to celebrate all that is lovely and quirky in my co-workers. The pursuit of delight helped me say yes to travel (in spite of the barriers and risks), to exploring nature and beauty in an even deeper way than I have before. I delighted in small wonders in the garden, long hot baths, and kind words received.
I don’t know if I will enter 2024 with a new word to hold and explore, but I am definitely keeping delight. Is there something you are carrying forward into the new year?
A Blessing for 2024
Blessed are you if you are reluctant to dip your toe into 2024,
Knowing full well the troubles that might meet you.
Blessed are you if you carry the weight of the unresolved into the new year.
Blessed are the limping ones,
The weary and wary ones,
the dragging their feet ones,
and blessed are the ones entering the new year with hope and joy,
rejoicing over a clean slate and goodness to come.
Your feelings do not stop grace and blessing from reaching you.
New mercies are still available no matter your thoughts about 2024.
As we cross the threshold may you be convinced that you do not do so alone,
And may goodness pursue you,
Delight your daily companion,
And hope the flame that can never be extinguished.
A Blessed New Year to you friends.
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” This quote! I copied it for me because it fits so well with my word for 2024: place. I want to remember this quote as I see what unfolds for me this coming year when I know God will expand my understanding of Him and the places He has for me.
“Glimpses of God” struck me too. As I look back on 2023, I see how God kept showing up. My word for 2023 was abide. I learned to abide in Him more, trusting Him more. I leaned to abide in my faith, and strangely, I also learned to abide in my own body, the one I had in 2023 which was different from the one I had ten years ago, twenty years ago, and even just a year ago. It took abiding in the grace of God and His purposes for me to do that.
Blessings, dear friend. I look forward to reading all you have for us in the coming year.
Happy New Year, Sue! What a beautiful post. I’m watching, waiting, staying curious about the invitation that awaits me this new year.