Happy New Year- so what?
The Christmas magic that I talked about last Uplift, a closer brush with the divine and with each other, inevitably, fades. Which leaves many of us wistful, even a touch blue as we shift into the New Year. Unfulfilled ambitions, dislocated relationships, illness: another year of disappointments. Happy New Year- so what? It’s easy, after the Christmas hullaballoo, to feel saturated and deflated. But the reason for the season doesn’t go away after Christmas morning. God is with us every day.
Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus makes us a great promise, which we can lean on all year: Mathew 28: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The days between Christmas and New Years are set apart. The world takes a breath. It feels peaceful. Don't let this time pass you by. When I was working, I closed the office between Christmas and New Years. I set work and routine aside to try to abide in…well, the sweetness of life. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy your own snatch of quietude this year. And God's peace. The birds singing, the sun shining, or the snow falling, depending on your geography! This is from Psalm 118: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Instead of choosing a song that supports my message, this Uplift, the song is the message: “Happy New Year.” I couldn’t say it any better. God Bless you and Happy New Year!
Happy New Year
The streets are quiet,
the Christmas lights are coming down
all is quiet, but it’s okay He’s still around
In the beginning,
first, there was light
then He breathed a breath
then, there was life
Happy New Year
every day, it’s okay
Happy New Year
every day, it’s okay
Broken dreams and the pain
that comes from living life
misguided schemes
that never seem to work out right
Come with me
down to the table
where there is life
and everyone is always able
Happy New Year
every day, it’s okay
Happy New Year
every day, it’s okay