Hi everyone,
Happy New Year! Wishing all of you a blessed 2025 as we reflect on the ups and downs of 2024.
I’ve never been a big New Year’s person, as I just don’t really get why we celebrate, but I do enjoy a good fireworks show (if I just suspend the knowledge of how much pollution they cause). This past NYE I was extremely tired and just wanted to sleep, but the kids wanted to stay up for the countdown. Being the sucker that I am, I obliged.
That was a gong show in itself, but perhaps a story for another time (let’s just say it involved a delayed stream that caused us to miss the countdown by a good 2 whole minutes). After midnight hit and the kids went nuts for roughly 20-30 seconds, we decided to look around to see how different areas of the world celebrated the occasion (as the Lower Mainland did basically nothing that we knew of).
We searched the internet a bit and found videos of the different fireworks displays. And while we didn’t see every single one, the one from London was amazing. Like, AMAZING. Just… ah-mah-zing.
It was loud, yes, but grand. Intricately put together. And very, very well done and entertaining.
I couldn’t help but be in awe with the amount of work and effort put into it. The planning, the engineering, and just the sheer creativity in putting a bunch of explosions together that would take one’s breath away.
It was simply awesome. I would recommend.
Here are the readings for next week:
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
And a video of the readings being read:
This coming week is the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, and we often wonder why Jesus was even baptized. But instead of really dwelling on that, it seems to me like these readings that we get in this Lectionary Year C that is based on readings from the gospel of Luke, is more about God’s voice.
God’s power, amazing, and awesome voice.
I don’t know if you ever tried to imagine what God’s voice is like, but the Psalm for next week at least tells us that it is powerful. But then the Isaiah reading tells us that it is comforting and reassuring. And then the gospel reading tells us that this voice calls us and gives us our identity and purpose. The second reading out of Acts also reveals to us that this voice is for all people.
Everyone. That is pretty awesome.
But at the same time, I think this Voice can be heard in the silence. In the deep meditations of our hearts. In the faces and lives of those we love and who are joined with us in community.
The point is that this Voice and be heard and felt throughout our lives. It can be loud, powerful, and awesome. It can also be quiet, comforting, and leading us to peace. But above all, it calls us, reminds us of who we are, and tells us that we are loved.
Let’s never forget that. Not this Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, not in our own baptisms, not for the rest of our lives.
We are beloved people of God, filled with hope and purpose, and given the chance to live with each other in unity and right relationship, blessed by our Saviour and brother, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!