January 8, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Sunshine

On January 5 we had our first real snow of the year.  Coming on the 12^th Day of Christmas, I guess, technically, we still got our white Christmas.  But even with the snow, both Sunday and Monday were rather dreary days. 

Yesterday, however, was glorious!  The sky was bright blue, the sun was shining, and the sunlight reflecting off the new snow was almost blinding.  Although the temperature only reached 26, it felt much warmer than that.

One of the things I really love is a calm and bright sunny day after a winter storm.  People smile.  Attitudes are much improved.  And if you have any cleanup to do, the sunshine even makes that tolerable.  In this winter sunshine there was a sense of joy and life in the people I encountered on my walk downtown.

The Christmas season began with the birth of Christ.  The Gospel of John tells us that “in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Monday was the Feast of the Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the wise men from the East who followed a star to the home of Mary and Jesus in Bethlehem.  They followed a light that shone in the darkness which eventually led them to a life found in Christ Jesus.

Christmas and Epiphany are about the arrival of God’s light in a darkened world. 

This winter, may the light of Christ shine in and through you like sunshine after a winter storm so that you may bring joy and life to all those whom you touch.

Blessings,

January 1, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Silence

[An angel said to Elijah], “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”  Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:11-13

Today is January 1, 2025.  It is New Year’s Day.  It is also the Eighth Day of Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Name.  There’s a lot going on today.  In addition to continuing the Christmas festivities, this is the day we celebrate the naming of Jesus (taken from the Jewish tradition of naming male children eight days after their birth).  And if you’re like me, to be honest, there are a number of Bowl Games to follow and overeat on chips, dips, and the like.

Despite offices being closed today, there is plenty to do and plenty which to keep us busy.

In the midst of everything – Christmas, New Year’s, our 12^th Night Party, Annual Meeting prep, and, and, and – the above passage of Elijah’s encounter with God popped into my head.

As we navigate all of the busy-ness in our lives, remember to take time and listen for God, remembering that God cannot be heard through the noise of wind, earthquakes, fire, or Bowl Games.  God, it seems, is heard in the silence. 

In the midst of all that is going on, find time to slip away.  Find time for quiet.  Find time for silence.  In that silence you just might hear the voice of God speaking to you.  And in that silence you just might be able to answer God’s question:  What are you doing here?

Merry Christmas,