Happy New Year: Arise and Shine!
By the Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Happy New Year, Beloved Community! Another year passed and a new year is in front of us. We concluded the Christmas season with the feast of Epiphany, a celebration of God’s glory revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Isaiah, often referred to as the “prophet of hope,” invites us to “Arise and Shine.” What an invitation and command to hear, especially, as we start a new year! Thank you, Blaine, for a wonderful Christmas season. It was lovely to celebrate the season together with our full-fledged ministries on fire!
Individually and collectively, we are called to arise and awaken spiritually from the slumber of complacency and the darkness of sin. We are called to open our eyes to God’s truth, God’s presence, and God’s guidance, lifting our eyes to see and experience the glory of the Lord.
Much like the wise people from the East, we are invited to follow the guiding light — moments of inspiration, encounters with wisdom, and signs of grace. Like the magi, we are invited on a spiritual journey, to offer our best talents, resources, time, and, most importantly, our hearts to God.
We are not who we were before the pandemic. We are not who we were even six months ago. To look to our past organization as a guide for the future would be a mistake; like putting new wine into old wineskins. Instead, as we continue the process of adaptive change as a community of faith, we become stronger, healthier, and better able to say “yes” to the life-giving ministries we are called to, and “no” to those things that suck the energy of the congregation without positive effect. Sometimes, these changes feel like they’re slower than molasses, and sometimes it feels as if they have been sprung upon us with no warning. As we look to a new year, we’ll continue to navigate new changes and new ministry offerings at Blaine Memorial.
As we move into the new year, and feel the forward motion in our individual lives, I ask that you pray regularly and sincerely for the health and future of Blaine Memorial UMC. Pray for our Leadership Team. Pray for the new people finding their way into this congregation. Pray for the staff. Pray for me. Pray with joy and with concern. This is a beautiful and vigorous congregation, and I am absolutely inspired about our life together moving forward in 2024! It’s not always easy, but it is indeed always good. Just like God is always creating something new, so we, too, are renewed. Thanks be to God!
Blessings to you all,
Rev. Karen
The Beacon is now available!
View the Jan-Feb 2024 Calendar
