Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! And a continued Merry Christmas, as we are in the liturgical time for
Christmas! If you are like me, I find myself cringing when I see decorations from the holidays
still up, and wrap myself in a warm blanket of guilt knowing that I’ve not taken the time as my
neighbors have to remove the wreaths and pack up the ornaments and tree. During staff meeting
this past week, however, we remembered that while the world says Christmas is over, for we
Christians, it is not. Actually, all the hoopla scripturally BEGINS after the birth of Jesus. So
actually, we should be celebrating again and again, I think! But the real question is probably:
Did I really let Advent slip by this year without letting the Christ Child change me in some way
with a re-birthing of my own? No, I didn’t. So it’s a good thing NOT to pack Jesus away until
Easter.

My prayer for us is that we remember the birth, and experience a re-birth, not just for a season,
but for every day. I know good and well that if I say every day, it’s an easy thing to slip
to “no day.” If I learned anything this past year, it has been to make a conscious effort to live
intentionally, and if that seems overwhelming, then just for the next minute, just for today. If
love is not love unless it’s demonstrated, re-birth is not re-birth unless we are open and willing
to be intentionally transformed, every day, every moment. Right now, just for today. Before we
know it, our todays will become our weeks, months, years and life. Hooray!

So throw off any guilt blankets and lift another cup of hot cider to Christmas! You even have
my permission to sing another carol or two….

Grace and joy,
Julie