January 1, 2022
It feels odd to begin the new year quietly. Not that Linda and I are party animals; we’re ready for bed at the time when real partiers are just getting warmed up. We lazily stayed in bed far past my usual 6:00 am rising, and did little more than take down one of our Christmas trees. I did manage to install a Christmas gift grab hook on my tractor bucket and unpackaged the electric lawn mower I bought Linda.
The OT Law contains numerous feasts and celebrations which were required of the people. We would call them holidays or perhaps vacations, but whatever names we give them, they were times when the people stepped away from their regular daily work to reflect and recalibrate their lives in light of the salvation God had brought them.
Life has a way of constricting our vision till we only see what is immediately around us. We may set goals and think of our life’s purpose, but day by day, we tend to do whatever the job requires without thinking much farther. If we take no time to step away from the mundane, we get swallowed up by it. A slow day can be just the right way to start a new year, decompressing our souls and refocusing our hearts on the eternal matters of God.
It’s been a quiet day. Tomorrow we gather to worship, and Monday the new year really kicks in. The words of Isaiah ring in my ears: “For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”” If recent events are any indication, this year will be as challenging as the last, in which case, we will need all the confidence and strength we can muster. Starting the new year quietly is God’s prescription for all that will come our way, so I deliberately calm my soul. Confidence and strength are on the menu, and I am ordering a big helping.
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