I know that a lot of people make resolutions – or talk about making them – every new year. It is a good thing to look back at the past 12 months and see what was great and what wasn’t – Chris and I like to look at the calendar and remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. We also think about what’s next for us; what we hope and dream the next year will bring. Our last two years have been filled with a lot of great things and a lot of bad things; we are both hoping that next year will be better for us and for you.
What’s next for me? I am going to keep loving my friends and families and enemies – I’m going to try new things in my own life and at Calvary. I want to make new friends and nourish existing relationships, because we can never have too many of those. I want to continue to help our congregation be a shining light in our community, helping the poor and lost and providing a home for a lot of organizations and people that otherwise could not afford to do their good work. I want to see our faith community continue to do God’s work in ways that lift up the teachings of Jesus. He strived to be inclusive by welcoming all people – He embraced diversity by expanding His reach beyond His own group – He championed equity by confronting injustice and forcing those who did wrong to look in the mirror and see their true selves. It doesn’t matter of the larger culture opposes these things – we don’t care. What God wants matters most to us.
What’s next for you? I hope you will strengthen your friendships too – that you will reconnect, if you haven’t already, with a spiritual community that works for justice. I hope that you will continue to stand against all forms of hate – that when you see someone being hurt you will be their ally. We are a nation that, in the past, has fought against fascism and racism and sexism and antisemitism and Islamophobia – and we need to be that kind of place again. We need to oppose violence. We need to defend those who are victims of violence. We won’t be perfect, but we can be better. If you are keeping quiet about the wrong being done around you, stop being afraid and do the right thing. As the writer of 2 Timothy wrote, “For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” Good advice for all of us.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for giving us the ability to right what is wrong. Amen.