Done and Done. No, no, not me. The year of 2023.
We are 3 days from year end and that has me thinking about two things.
Next year being 2024, we are approaching the midway point of this decade. Odd, because it seems to me like I was just fighting off all the Y2K hype. Guess my age is showing.
And then, it is time to start again. Every time we start a new year I feel refreshed. It has the promise of a new dawn. So much potential lies before us. Before getting there, however, I like to pause for a little while and look over this year as it winds down.
Some things are new. Some are returning. And some are gone. New for example, is that masks are just part of the landscape now. If there is a reported outbreak, then masking automatically comes back with no qualms. Returning are some of the joyous celebrations of before. We had some 137 people out to our Christmas Eve service this year. That was a joy to behold, especially to see how many families showed up to celebrate Jesus' birth. Gone are the surge in online ordering that had the video companies and communications people like those at Zoom working overtime. Layoffs and silence greet such mentions of late.
We have great potential in front of us in 2024. The housing crisis; pensions; repurposing of some things already at hand (I think of the six million square feet of former office space that Calgary is determined to shift from commercial to residential here) are all places where we Christians can show how we enact John 13:31-35. Allowing a more senior person to go ahead of you in the grocery check out line; calling someone you haven't talked to in 20 years; helping lift heavy loads that can no longer be managed; these are just a few examples of our showing love and care for each other. Just as God has shown love and care for us in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:32) So, take time to reflect on this year as it passes into next. And then, looking forward, ask where Jesus and God can use each of us to further the grace, love, care and forgiveness that we are given in Jesus. Pr. Scott
