For many of us, today is the first full workday of the New Year. Reality has sunk in, the holiday season is over, and we are back to our regular schedules.
Part of me longs for another day – another couple days before getting back into the routine, but even as I consider it, I realize the slippery slope I am standing on…
Today is a brand new day, a gift if you will, that has been granted, and if we begin by wishing it away at its onset, we have already begun a downward spiral…
So, let’s reset.
Let’s begin this day with gratitude at the grace that God has given us. Let’s begin the day with clarity and joy as we imagine what new opportunities and blessings we will encounter…
As with each day that God gives us, let’s acknowledge the privilege of each moment and set aside the tendency to take it for granted. Let’s cherish this day and remember:
23 This is the Lord’s doing;It is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
As the last holiday lights are packed away and the festive season fades, we find ourselves standing at the threshold of a new year. For many, this transition brings a mix of emotions—some feel anxious about returning to routines, others welcome the comfort of predictability, while most of us experience a combination of hope, gratitude, and uncertainty.
The start of a new year naturally prompts questions: What challenges will we encounter? What unexpected joys might appear? Will we have what we need? Will things turn out okay?
It’s normal to feel both wonder and weariness as we look ahead. But remember, we’ve faced new beginnings before—and we’ve made it through, one step at a time. There will be moments of difficulty and moments of delight. The key is to take each day as it comes, focusing on what’s within reach right now.
A familiar song reminds us:
“One day at a time, sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from You Just give me the strength to do every day What I have to do Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine Lord, help me today, show me the way… One day at a time.” —Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson
When uncertainty feels overwhelming, lean into faith and trust in a compassionate Creator. Even the fastest runners and the most skilled climbers move forward one step at a time.
As the scripture says:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34
May we find peace, strength, and encouragement in each new day.
The year has drawn to a close, and we stand at the threshold of a new one. As we mark this transition, we remember the experiences that have shaped us over the past twelve months. We reflect on all that has transpired, acknowledging both our joys and our sorrows, the lessons we have learned, the burdens we have carried, and the blessings we have received. Through it all, we have found opportunities to repent for our shortcomings and to rejoice in the growth and grace that have emerged from our journey.
Gratitude and Praise
In this spirit of reflection, we offer sincere praise and glory to God for His enduring goodness. We are grateful for what the elders have described as His “stubborn grace”—a grace that has sustained and protected us from “yonder to here.” This unyielding mercy has been our anchor through changing seasons and uncertain times.
Marking the Moment
As midnight arrived, a prayer rose from our hearts, marking the start of a new year. In keeping with tradition, the beans and greens have been lovingly prepared, symbolizing hope and prosperity. The laundry is complete, closets have been tidied, and the house has been dusted. Each act is a gesture of readiness for what lies ahead and a way of honoring the rituals that give meaning to our lives.
Embracing God’s Grace
Once again, we have taken time to remember, reflect, repent, and rejoice in the abundant goodness and grace that God has shown us. These practices root us, reminding us to be thankful and humble as we move forward.
A Fresh Beginning
With hearts renewed, we now resolve to step forward into the new year. We begin again. We resume our journey with hope. The witnesses of our past give us wisdom, our present blessings provide strength, and the promise of a hopeful future compels us onward.
A Promise for the Journey
We are encouraged by the words of scripture, which remind us of God’s faithful intentions toward us:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Remembering our past is important, but it comes with certain caveats:
Looking back can sometimes lead to a nostalgia that rewrites our personal and shared histories—a tendency that is not only deceitful but dangerous.
Looking back may coax us toward chasing former glory or reclaiming myths of previous prowess, which is a foolhardy waste of time.
Looking back can become mere reminiscing—longing to relive past experiences or recapture fleeting moments—which is both faithless and naive.
Looking back may mire us in old traumas, causing us to replay and relitigate past offenses, leaving us brokenhearted and perpetually grieving.
Remembering is important work, and it requires wisdom and guidance.
As we recall and survey the landscape of our lives—all the places we’ve been, people we’ve encountered, things we’ve done or left undone, the sorrows and joys, successes and failures, shining moments and moments of despair—we must remember carefully, so we may remember rightly.
While we excavate our past, we need the right filters to help us sift through and separate what must be retained from what needs to be released. Some memories belong in the museum of our minds—preserved, but not displayed in the everyday spaces of our lives.
Other artifacts should serve as markers—reminders not only of previous greatness, but of God’s present faithfulness and the unlimited possibility that becomes our future when imagination meets hope.
Remembering is important work, and we need a faithful Guide.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
As we remember, let us seek guidance—not only to honor the past, but to embrace the hope and possibility of the future.
It’s Fall in Alabama, you can feel it in the morning but by afternoon it will feel like Summer again! Makes me miss my Ohio home… There is something about being able to discern the times by the trees that is comforting to me.
But we are in strange times. So many words being thrown around about God, faith, Jesus, and the Bible. Everyone is making claims about who’s in and who’s out, what’s true and what’s false, who’s good and who’s bad – it’s difficult for some of us to tell what’s what!
But we do have wisdom from the trees. Look at the leaves. Examine the fruit. These are reliable signs for us. We have credible witnesses. We can tell the seasons by the leaves and the trees by their fruit- there’s no need for mystery.
Jesus said it like this:
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
Matthew 12:33-35
We are in strange times indeed, but we can still tell a tree by the fruit it bears!
For some reason, most fall into two main ways of seeing others and ourselves. On the one hand, we are willing to see others’ flaws while overlooking our own. On the other hand, many of us fall into the trap of fixating on our own failures, imagining that we are worse than or somehow more broken than everyone else.
Whatever the case, our vision is skewed, and it creates a warped sense of justice. We prop ourselves up based on miscalculation of our own merits, or we cast ourselves down with a twisted sense of unworthiness.
We move through the world encumbered by crippling thoughts of comparison and competition that corrupt our hearts and keep us from enjoying or expressing the grace of God.
But the truth is, we are no better or worse than most of those with whom we cross paths. We are all flawed. We all miss the mark. We all come up short!
But the truth is also that we are God’s beloved, and we are of inherent value and dignity, and worthy of respect—every single one of us.
It is impossible that you can ever meet another human being that God does not love. Get it?
And I realize that sometimes the person who needs to hear that most is the person staring back at you in the mirror this morning!
God loves you. God is merciful. Love and be kind to yourself, today! Love others and be kind to others out of that overflow!
Be kind to yourself.
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13
One of the most difficult things to do when you’re feeling threatened and stressed out is to learn how to slow down and listen for the Spirit’s guidance.
The enemy thrives off of anxiety that expresses itself in knee-jerk decisions that may provide immediate relief but then trigger a chain reaction of consequences that are beyond what we anticipated.
Sure, there is a time and place for quick and decisive action, but sometimes the best thing we can do is to slow down, to think, to pray, and to listen for the voice of the Spirit.
Learn to pause before speaking and acting. Learn to discern God’s will in a way that allows for appropriate response and not rash reaction. Sometimes all it takes is a moment.
I can bet all of us have moments we wish we could have back – words we wish we hadn’t said, and things we wish we could do over…
Learn those lessons. Slow down. Glean wisdom from experience, and then do differently…
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
As a new work week begins, pace yourself. Try to do the best you can with each moment. I know that most of us have a lot on our plates, but you can’t do it all at once.
There are 24 hours in a day, and right now one-third of it is already done! So let’s take the next sixteen hours, one moment at a time – beginning with gratitude and then continuing with this simple confession:
“God has given me everything I need to meet this moment… My hope, my health, and my help are already with me…”
To this confession, add also this simple profession;
“When anxiety threatens to disturb my peace, I remember that God is with me and remain at ease.”
I know there’s a lot going on out here, but we will get through it – one moment at a time!
Peace comes a moment at a time!
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
pastorpoet 