By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564
“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,’Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’”
Matthew 2:13
Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had great Christmas and New Year’s celebrations! This is the beginning of a brand, spankin’ New Year! A time to “reboot” (as the TECH world would say!).
To “reboot,” some ideas come to mind. One very important one comes to mind, and that is being kinder to your family, friends, and acquaintances! Another one is to refrain from being judgmental of one another.
I know what many of you are thinking; he is making a list of New Year’s resolutions to be broken early next month! No, I’m trying not to do that. What I am trying to do is this; I am trying to make it sound like (and it basically is) a life-changing event because if we all do this, our lives will change for the better and, possibly, make our little “acre” just a wee bit better.
It seems that I am asking you to “think about it for a minute” a lot lately, but I am very serious about this. If we don’t do something immediately, our lives, and the lives of our families won’t be worth a “plug nickel” in the near future.
We are entering a brand new year, full of new opportunities for us all. As in the scripture lesson this month, we are running and hiding from Herod in a way.
Herod might not be alive now, but we each have our own “Herod” we are trying to avoid. We can start by being more considerate of our fellow human beings. Please and thank you to the wait staff who deliver your food at the restaurant, holding the door open for people who are having a difficult time, smiling at strangers as you pass them on the street and many more. I’m sure you can think of some!
That is it for this month! I will step down from my soapbox (for now!). I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.
Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us all to stay away from our ‘Herods.’ Show us, always, the righteous path to travel. Amen.”
These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to do,
A bit of o’ sun, a bit o’ cheer.
And a guardian angel always near.
An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity