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Rev. Steve's New Year's Message
Arise, Shine!!
If you will allow me, I’d like to share some musings with you. As I
grow older, I’ve come to the realization that I like winter less and
less. I’ve also come to realize that extreme heat and humidity don’t
agree with me either, which doesn’t leave to many seasons to enjoy.
No doubt you have already gathered that I thoroughly enjoy the
seasons of spring and fall, you know the seasons when we celebrate
warm days but need sweater on at night when going for a walk.
As I write this, we’ve already celebrated the longest day and before
we know it, we’ll be moving our clocks ahead, sometime in March if
I’m correct, for spring. This lovely thought brings to mind the hymn
“In the Bulb There is a Flower”. This beautiful hymn speaks to the
times of transitions in our lives, whether from one career to
another, a change in relationship status or death. One of my
favorite lines in this hymn is “In the cold and snow of winter
there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.”
As most of us celebrate a brand New Year, can any of us imagine what
this year will hold for each of us? I expect we all hope for a year
filled with wonderful things, whether it be exciting news, new
opportunities, unexpected but pleasant surprises or new
relationships. However, for some of us, this year will also bring
sadness, disappointments, illness and death. All of these
possibilities remain unrevealed until their season, a season that
only God can see.
So how do we approach this New Year? Do we approach it with the
“same old, same old” kind of attitude? Do we approach it with a
feeling of dread as we grow another year older; with a feeling of
hopelessness as we continue to look for a job where there appears to
be no jobs; a feeling of anxiety as we wait for either tests to be
done or test results to come back to us or do we wait with a sense
of uncertainty about the future? All of these questions plus many
more can make it hard to be patient for a new season, can’t they?
It’s hard waiting on God to reveal what the next season of our life
holds, isn’t it? But isn’t that what our faith is all about? Isn’t
it about trusting and knowing that God is with us through all of the
ups and downs and seasons of our lives?
One of my favorite scripture readings is Isaiah, Chapter 60, verse
1. It reads “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of
the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah was reminding the people of
Israel that God’s light would shine upon them. As we celebrate a New
Year and the days growing longer, may we remember that that same
Light surrounds each one of us, dispelling not only the darkness of
the surrounding world, but also the darkness that is in many of our
lives.
As we begin to journey into this New Year, let us not only remember
that wonderful Light that came into the world and into our lives, in
the Christ Child, but also let each one of us make an effort to let
our own lights shine through acts of caring and compassion and
speaking words of love, truth and justice. Through our words and
actions, others may just be able to see and witness God’s Light,
revealing a new season in their lives. May it be so!!
Happy New Year!!
Rev. Steve Atkinson
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