A scripture as we enter a new year
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
God’s mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
A Word from Our President
When does Christmas end?
In the last few days, this question has come to mind. As a child, our Christmas Tree was down before the end of the year. I remember being told it was “bad luck” to have the tree still up in the new year. I have no idea where this idea came from.
A couple of days ago, I was out walking and I ended up walking with a man for about 2 blocks. He said he had gotten something from the post office that they were trying to deliver a Christmas gift, and he felt badly because Christmas was over the day after the 25th, on December 26. I explained to him that Christmas was actually 12 days long. Christmas ends with Epiphany, January 6th.
I was at the grocery store on December 28th and anything Christmas was on clearance and Valentine’s candy is on a big display. So, when does Christmas end?
When I became active in a church and then became a pastor, I began celebrating a Christmas season; the twelve days of Christmas. My tree stays up until January 7th. My decorations are in place until January 7th. It seems so right that Christmas ends with epiphany. The word epiphany means a sudden intuitive perception or insight into a reality of essential meaning.
We can have all the mangers scenes with angels and shepherds, with Mary and Joseph and the baby. We can have all the trees with beautifully wrapped packages under the tree. We can have all the candles lighting up the night and beautiful carols being sung. These are all beautiful scenes and after all, everyone loves a baby. But if we end with these scenes without understanding the importance behind the scenes, then we miss the essential meaning of the season.
The essential meaning is that the long-awaited Messiah was born, and the world is changed forever. The wise men followed a star and when we read the Bible carefully, they arrived to find Jesus in a house with Mary and Joseph, not in the manger. The journey was long and I imagine arduous. It might have been easier to give up and go home. But the wise men kept going, and found the baby. The Epiphany is that the wise men recognized this baby as the Messiah, the Christ, Emmanuel. They knew who this baby was. They knew there was more to this birth than just a baby being born.
And yet, there is one more step beyond the essential meaning of Christmas. That next step is for us to say yes to being Jesus’ disciples in the world. The Messiah, this Jesus, asks us to pick up our cross and follow. We don’t know what 2025 will bring, but we do know that we will be needed to help those who are vulnerable, to sit with those who are grieving, and to welcome those who are alone into our communities. Will we be those disciples?
Happy New Year and welcome to 2025.
~ Linda Holbrook
Art & Spirituality Recalibration LIVE! (zoom event)
Saturday, January 25, 2025
- 1:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern
- 12 noon – 3:00 pm Central
- 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Mountain
- 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Pacific
Join us as Rev. Dr. Cynthia Good guides our time together.
Cynthia says, “I have always loved beauty and creativity; it has been a form of prayer before I had words. Art, music, nature, poetry, all have the capacity to ground us, center us, change us. When life feels too difficult, I walk in the woods, I listen to music that soothes my soul, I go to a museum to be touched by art, I read poetry that shifts something within me. I invite you to go on a journey with me of exploration of spirituality through beauty.”
Click here for more information and to register.
To Register: After clicking the link immediately above, scroll down and click the “Register” button (under Cynthia’s picture). Then select 1 ticket and proceed with the registration process.
(If you have difficulty registering, please contact Glynden at [email protected].)
Prayers
A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition No. 607, UMH
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Prayer for a New Heart No. 392, UMH
Thou who art over us,
Thou who art one of us,
Thou who art:
Give me a pure heart, that I may see thee;
a humble heart, that I may hear thee;
a heart of love, that I may serve thee;
a heart of faith, that I may abide in
thee. Amen.
Dag Hammerskjold
Book Review
I preordered the new book Following the Moon from James Norbury (who wrote Big Panda and Tiny Dragon), and read it the day after it came. I loved it, so went to my local bookstore to pick up 3 copies for gifts. I stopped at Customer Service, and they had a book called The Dog Who Followed the Moon, but not the title I sought. So when I got home, I went back online to order 3 copies of the book I had just received – and they no longer had that title! But they had the same title the store had. – After some investigation, I learned that the title I had received was the one released in England, and the other is the one released in the US. They are the same book. So, by whichever title you find it, I commend it to you. It’s a lovely book, touching on some universal themes.
It is a quick read, with sparse words and lots of lovely drawings.
Here are a few excerpts from the book:
Sometimes it’s the presence of another that lets us shine. (p. 46)
And you’ll know that when everything seems to be falling apart
and you feel like you’ve lost your way,
just have a little faith, stay strong,
keep searching, and you might just find your way again. (p. 130)
That’s why we do things with all our heart,
so when it doesn’t work out, at least
we know we put the best of ourselves into the world. (p. 121)
We adapt, we change, we find a new way forward.
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that a path is not
leading us where we need to be and choosing a new one. (p. 115)
There are many more lovely bits of wisdom in this book about a deep friendship, of two who are companions on the way. May it bless you on your way.
Glynden Bode, HOF member and board member
Make Plans to Attend Our Next Retreat
July 14-17, 2025
Presenter: Dwight Judy
Being a Compassionate Presence:
Revisiting “perfection of love” for our digital age
@Transfiguration Spirituality Center
(Glendale, OH – just outside Cincinnati)
More information and registration is coming soon.
Membership in Hearts On Fire
This organization is open to all who are interested in spiritual formation/spiritual direction/retreat leadership, regardless of denominational affiliation.
Enrichment/educational/networking/community zooms are being held at intervals throughout each year. Additional resources including: daily prayer guide, book reviews, etc. Please consider becoming a paid member if you are not already.
Click here for the membership page on our website. There you will have the option to complete your member profile and pay online, or print a form and mail a check. (If you need help with the process, reply to this email.)
Have an event to share? Wondering what others are reading, or what practices they are finding helpful? Looking for a learning opportunity? Have questions about navigating the uncertainties of our times? Seeking support and encouragement? Want to discuss something you read in the newsletter with others?
Click here to check out our Facebook page to engage in the conversation and make connections with others.
A new year – a blank slate.
What will you include in your life this year?
This Is a Day of New Beginnings (UMH No. 383)
This is a day of new beginnings, t
ime to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that’s gone.
For by the life and death of Jesus,
God’s mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference,
as faith and hope are born again.
Then let us, with the Spirit’s daring,
step from the past and leave behind
our disappointment, guilt, and grieving,
seeking new paths, and sure to find.
Christ is alive, and goes before us
to show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.
In faith we’ll gather round the table
to taste and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings,
our God is making all things new.
Words: Brian Wren
Music: Carlton R. Young
Click here to listen to the Aldersgate Chorale sing this hymn.
