January--a month of transitions

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

​As I am considering the new year, these are not the first verses that come to mind. But they make sense. January is a month of transitions. A new calendar year has begun, even as in the church calendar we transition from the baby Jesus born to bring salvation to the ministry and teachings of Jesus.

The season shifts. The days are finally getting longer. (There are morning people in this world, and there are night people. There are people who love the quiet darkness of the winter, and there are people who long for the light and the beginning of new growth that is soon to emerge. I am married to my opposite in both cases. Mornings cannot be addressed without coffee, and I take joy in the lengthening days.)

In the other Washington, soon a new Congress will be sworn in as well as a new President. We do not know what the future holds. In God we have hope that we are moving toward greater love, greater peace, greater joy. A favorite quote made famous by Martin Luther King Jr is “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

I believe that is where the writer of the letter to the Hebrews is going. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. They are all those heroes of our faith, Abraham and Sarah, David the King, Elijah and Elisha, Moses, Paul and his traveling companions, Mary and Elizabeth, Grandma Grace. All of these show us the way as we race into the new day. We are moving into Epiphany. The Magi come seeking the infant Jesus bearing gifts. We read as they approached, they were overwhelmed with joy. They entered the house and paid homage to Jesus. Here, while Jesus is still in infancy, already the world is finding hope in him. The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. The whole world is seeking and finding life in the Christ child. We are not alone in this. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.

​So let us run the race that is set before us. As we transition to whatever is to come next, we leave the known and what we think is stable for the unknown and what may well be unstable. As we transition into this next chapter, we do so with the risen Christ in our midst and the comfort of the Holy Spirit all under the watchful eye of the loving Father, who loves us and holds us and sustains us. Blessings to you as we transition into the next Season that now lies before us.

Peace be with you, Pastor Jessie

Pastor's email