From the Pastor’s Desk
See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. (Isaiah 42:9)We ring in the New Year with these beautiful words from Isaiah. God declares that the past is over and a new day begins. The psalmist calls it a ‘clean heart.’We celebrate the opportunity to start fresh. Perhaps it seems naïve or overly optimistic to say the past is over and we can focus on today, but why not? Why dwell in reliving past hurts and disappointments if you cannot change them? Why not take a deep cleansing breath and start the New Year with a blank slate?For me, the time between the end of one year and the beginning of the next includes a review of the past and commitment – or resolutions – for the year to come. I use this exercise to reorient myself toward new goals, enlivened by possibilities.My first and primary resolution for 2017 is to put God first in all things. For me,this means staying true to my spiritual disciplines of daily prayer–spending a part of each day consciously in the presence of God. I find that when I do this my trust in God increases and I am more likely to surrender some of my worries to God’s control. When I enter into daily dialogue with God, I am reminded of God’s presence and power in my life. When I take the time to remember God’s love form it enables me to be more loving toward others. When I live in a state of awareness of God’s presence, I cannot help but try to live into God’s created potential for me.I certainly cannot predict what 2017 might have in store for us, but I do know that if we firmly root ourselves in God’s love for us and our love for God, our lives will be enriched. When love is the motivation for all of our behavior, we will find our relationships enhanced and perhaps we will find that the new things God declares for us are peace, justice, and compassion in a troubled world. May it be so. New Year Blessings