New Beginnings

2012!  A new year and a time to pause and reflect about the past twelve months while planning 366 new days.  This turning of the page of a calendar in many ways feels like a fresh start . . . a new beginning.

As I look back over this past year at Covenant, I see the interweaving of old and new, and I am reminded of a tapestry that has been carefully crafted over the years.  The colors of thread are fine and rich, and the fabric is filled with the work of those who have labored in ministry to produce a vibrant texture.  However, the tapestry is not yet completed.  New thread is needed and many more hours of work will be required.  

The greatest challenge we face as a congregation ministering in a world of dramatic change is how to go about the work at hand.  We see a world that is changing before our very eyes, and while some changes are positive and exciting, many of the changes in our world leave us feeling troubled and discouraged.  We are desperate for the building blocks that will give us a solid foundation as we continue living into the second decade of the 21st century.  Many of the early Christians felt this urgency as well.  They believed that Christ would come again in their lifetime, and their living reflected this expectation.  

More than one hundred years ago, Rev. Charles Sheldon wrote a book entitled In His Steps.  A few years ago his grandson retold this story, framing it in a new way.  Garrett Sheldon’s book, What Would Jesus Do, begins with an interesting scenario.  The pastor of a mega church encounters a person in desperate need.  He listens as the person shares his story, and then because the pressures of ministry and the priorities of his week are so great, the pastor sends the person on his way to find help elsewhere. 

The pastor’s ultimate response becomes the basis for the book.  He vows to live for one year with a handful of his congregation, asking the question at every turn, “What would Jesus do?”  

What a powerful adventure it must have been for those few who tried this radical experiment, living with the question.  What a great adventure it must have been for those early Christians as they awaited Christ’s return, living with the expectation that indeed he would return.

I wonder . . . how would such an effort change the direction of our congregation or our own personal lives?  What kind of year might 2012 be if we all stopped along the way to consider what Jesus would do in each situation, each conflict, each opportunity?  It is an interesting question.  What would it be like to live into a new year with Jesus leading the way?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;The old has gone, the new has come! (I Corinthians 5:17)

Ah yes, New Beginnings!  May 2012 be filled with adventure and many blessings!  Happy New Year!

Margaret