Beginnings and endings always seem to be connected. Christmas marks the beginning of new life, not just for the birth of a baby marked by the day but for all of us as we are part of a community that commits itself to the promise of a new way of living.
Christmas also comes near the end of our calendar year, a time for us to reflect on our lives over the past year and to consider how they should change in the new year to come. What is it that we have done or not done to share God’s promise of a new world, one of justice and peace? How can we do better in 2022?
Doing better is not just limited to the actions that engage us in the world for how we live is grounded in our faith. It also means deepening our faith through prayer, reflection, and study. The pandemic disrupted our ability to do this in our traditional community settings. Let us develop alternative ways of engagement in the coming year.
Prayer for the Day
Be the seed in our hearts, Creator of life,
Opening us to the possibilities of love;
Be the starter in our souls, Lord of imagination,
Calling us to live in justice and peace;
Be the stimulus in our actions, Spirit of wisdom,
Expanding our horizons beyond our walls.
In the name of the One who is our example,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
Hal Borland, American author & naturalist (1900-1978)
Without reflection we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.
Margaret J. Wheatley, American management consultant
Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor tur away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, ad she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
Proverbs 4: 5-9