Tonight, as I have for over 20 years, I will gather with a small group of friends for prayer, communion and a celebratory meal for New Year’s Eve. It’s a church service that is open to the public, but most people do not want to come. Either they want to stay home to avoid the drunks or they want to party. I don’t blame either of them; there are good reasons for doing each of those things. But I would feel entirely out of place at a party tonight and I do not want to stay home, especially if staying home means watching other people’s parties on television. Ugh!
For me, the essence of ushering in a New Year invites, even requires of me, a personal act of rededication. Tonight I want to stand with my extended family in Christ, small though they be, and adore the Christ who has claimed me for His own. I want to stand with my small family of faith and pray for the world in which we live. Tonight I want to be reminded of who I really am and who owns the upcoming year. I want to say “yes” again to who I truly am- a follower of Christ who has committed his life to mission.
I am facing a year of being bombarded by the siren call of my culture to be something other than who I am. My “inclusive” culture will release and exert powerful forces both within and upon me to fit in- to keep my religious convictions to myself, and get on with the business of making a living, spending my money on myself, and, if I have the time and inclination, contribute in some humanitarian way to the public good. That is the working definition these days of being a good citizenship.
Added to the influence of these powerful forces is the anguish and uncertainty many feel about life. We are fearfully adrift and do not know where we are going. There is little, if any, inspiring leadership in politics. The economy fluctuates with no clear direction. Human relationships are transitory at best. Many of us feel like we are grappling with forces that are bigger than we are, and we do not know what to do.
I feel those same forces. They tempt me to self-indulgence and an indifference to the world. So, on the eve of 2012, I want to get my bearings. I want to be able to live into this present world’s uncertainties armed with the certainty given to us in Christ. I want to be reminded of joy. I want to be refreshed in the river of God’s presence so that I can wash the feet of those who are fearful. I want to draw on God’s confidence to live a life of purpose and clear direction. I want to avail myself of the power of prayer- prayers filled with compassion, prayers that both ask and receive in a way that changes the course of human life.
On the eve of 2012, I want to give thanks that I am not alone, and that I belong to the God who controls all of history, On the eve of 2012, I want to say “yes” again to God’s purpose, and affirm that I am a servant of Christ’s.
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