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Happy New Year! There is a quietness in this early January, perhaps because of the snow, perhaps because of the cold, perhaps because of the short days. The holiday hubbub has passed, decorations are coming down, family and friends have gone back to their work-a-day lives, and our government is returning to its performances of certifying elections, swearing in officials, and mourning a president.
During President Carter’s funeral, I heard favorite words from Paul’s letters that I have read at many funerals. Carter’s grandson read Romans 8:38-39, telling us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Rev. Andrew Young, who is an authorized minister in the United Church of Christ, read Ephesians 4: 31-32, telling us to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving as Christ was.
The quietude of early January will not last forever. The day of national mourning closes with the setting sun, and our nation’s next weeks will include honoring one of our nation’s greatest prophets, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day of the inauguration of a president who seems unaligned with either King or Carter. How that Monday is spent, and whatever our nation faces after that day, like Paul, I am convinced that neither rulers nor powers will separate us from the love of Christ. How we display that love to neighbors, friends, frenemies, and even enemies will reveal the depth of our faith.
My faith has often been challenged by the actions of our government. I cry out to God, praying for humane actions toward those living under the injustices of a powerful government. I pray that Christians of all stripes will find their ways into kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness, and that we all might put away falsehood, and speak the truth to our neighbors (Eph. 4:25).
Blessings on your 2025; may you live in the love of Christ,
Pastor Tony
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