A Word from Laura: New Things
Dear Western Friends,
Greetings on Epiphany, the day we remember the Light of the star the magi followed to find the Christ child. It’s also the day we celebrate that Light in our own lives, a beacon at the beginning of our calendar year.
It’s also the turning of the year, when we take stock of who we have been and who we will become. We have a moment to look back at the past year and ask if we are measuring up to who we want to be – or better yet, who God calls us to be. We can set intentions for what lies ahead. As a church, we can ask how we will live into God’s love and justice more fully, more deeply.
This kind of intentional work takes multiple forms. One friend is reading Atomic Habits, whose premise is that the way to become the person you want to be is to start small, aligning regular habits. The work of transformation then builds incrementally. The example he shared with me was that if getting fit is a priority, you have to make going to the gym a regular habit, even if it starts with five minutes at a time.
Another friend is reading Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. In some ways it approaches self-work from the opposite direction, offering blessings for all those who need to hear that there are some things you can fix about yourself – and some things you can’t. The author lives with Stage IV cancer, affirming that life doesn’t always get better, and that’s okay.
However you approach the change of the year, it’s important to acknowledge that change happens. Some things we can control, some things we can’t. Regardless, God is always doing a new thing. Sometimes – who am I kidding? – often, it’s not what we would have planned.
Change in the year gives us time to recognize the ending of one passage, what we have gained and lost, what we celebrate and what we grieve. We can note the disequilibrium either way, particularly any inner reorientation or self-redefinition brought on by changes in our lives or in our world. We can pause to see how God is calling, whether God wants us to change our habits for the sake of becoming new or to discover the grace in accepting that we can’t fix what we wanted.
It's an opportunity for us as a church, too, as we recognize the ordination and installation of new elders and deacons, to recognize that God calls us together in this kind of work. What kind of changes have you experienced this year? Has our church experienced? How might God be calling you – whether it’s planning to change or accepting changes beyond your control? How might God be calling our church, in the same way?
May you stop to listen for God – whether in a gentle nudge or the equivalent of a neon sign reminding you it’s time to move! And may you find that you are living into God’s love and justice in 2023 and beyond, Laura