Tag Archives: New Year

Bearing Witness to the Light: A New Year Reflection

Leave a reply

New Year’s resolutions often crumble, not from bad intentions, but from a superficial understanding of our motivations. Too frequently, we pursue goals rooted in external pressures – things we “should” do. (I should exercise, lose weight, visit family, pray daily . . . .) True motivation, however, stems from an internal source, a deeper “why” connected to our core values. For me, the question became: Why return to blogging?

The urge to restart was persistent, but my initial reasons felt hollow: requests from others, satisfaction in creating a post, a therapeutic exercise, the possibility of helping someone else. These were not sufficient reason. The real reason only surfaced through prayerful reflection: to bear witness to the light within.

The world can often appear overwhelmingly dark – shadowed by personal challenges, social and political conflict, and global anxieties. This darkness can feel suffocating, threatening to extinguish hope and joy. While we might search for a simple solution, the light is already here. God said “Let there be Light!” in first chapter of the Bible, a power that still resonates today. The Gospel of John echoes this truth, stating, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Therefore, the purpose of this blog is to bear witness to the light of Christ that shines within us. This realization came into focus a couple of weeks ago while blogging on Christmas Eve candlelight worship. And today, as we celebrate Epiphany, we are reminded of the light from a star that guided the wise men to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Each post I write this year, while acknowledging the darkness is real, will bear witness to the Light and hope of Christ

We all have our way to bear witness to the light. This blog is my way, a vehicle for reflecting faith, hope, and love into the world.

What motivate you in your endeavors this year?

Deeper Dive from my blog, posted December 2011, Gloom, Doom and Light

New Year Beginnings?

Leave a reply

Each Day Counts

As a child I remember waking up on New Year’s Day and walking around the house, looking for something new.   I asked my parents to show me something that was new and they would simply point to the calendar.   I was not convinced until I found a penny or nickel that had the new year printed on it.  Naturally that would take several weeks or months.

Perhaps that is why I have never been good at New Year’s resolutions.  Part of my reason is that our New Year’s celebration comes at such an odd time, in the middle of winter.  I would rather start a new resolution in the spring, when everything is budding and alive.   My physical exercise always seems to pick up a notch when I can run in just shorts and a fleece top: no mittens, hat, tights, or jacket.    And my devotional life seems to shift by the seasons as well.  In the spring and summer, I want to be more active, serving God in tangible, concrete ways.  In the late fall and winter, I become more introspective, contemplative, spending time in study and prayer  By New Year’s Day, Minnesota has already been locked into winter for more than a month.  

Plus church life rarely revolves around January 1st (with the exception of budgets).  The school year of September to June has a much bigger impact on the weekly rhythms of life in a congregation.  Christmas and New Year’s are a wonderful break, but immediately following New Year’s, it is back to the school year flow.  Furthermore, the church year of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and Lent have grown into a significant part of my walk with Jesus.  The people of God have always focused on the birth of Jesus, not the start of a new calendar.   

So what do I do with New Years?  Treat it with the respect and joy that every day deserves.  The psalmist declares: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”    May each day of 2011 be filled with the joy of the Lord.

How does the New Year change your life?