Hello Church!
Happy New Year! I think. The end of a year and the beginning of another year is a really strange time in our world. We put such pressure on ourselves for everything to be perfect, for all to be happy, for everyone to be singing “Fa la la la la” in the shower. But why? We know the world is not perfect. We know our lives are not perfect. That is why we need Jesus to come, again and again and again, into the world and into our hearts. But still the pressure is there. And whatever is not right, you are “supposed to” make a New Year’s resolution to fix it.
Let’s not do that anymore. Let’s remember that Jesus comes to us to alleviate the pressures of this world, to set us free from binding social obligations, to help us see the love and beauty all around us, no matter who we are and what our circumstances bring. Jesus gives us a whole new parameter to which we measure ourselves: love, justice, peace, and joy. And those thing are not for us, they are for us to share.
So I pray you do have a happy New Year, but I deeply hope we all (me included! as usual) will allow Jesus to come into our hearts and lives again to set us straight on our “should’s” that come with cultural pressure and stress. Thanks be to God that Jesus does come, because we can’t do this life alone.
I pray for you all always!
Peace,
Rebecca