My NYE Bible study channels Prophet and Psalmist, Isaiah 12 and Psalm 98. In a spirit of New Year revelry, we are encouraged to praise, proclaim and shout...to sing a new song!
Yes, there’s hurt aplenty, even despair at times. I'm not immune to setbacks and loss. Big picture, the 2017 year-in-review recounts myriad natural disasters - vicious storms, earthquakes and wildfires. And unnatural tragedies in Syria, Somalia, Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs.
But in my family, we celebrated a wedding, new jobs, travel adventure and milestones at work. Gratitude prevails. It’s fertile soil where hope takes root and blooms as joy.
Lord of the fresh start
& new beginnings,
Clock and calendar
are center stage:
The count down.
The turning of a page,
For a new year.
Shout for joy to the Lord,
all the earth,
burst into jubilant song
with music... (Psalm 98:4)
For a new year.
I pray for renewal,
Verve and vitality,
Even reinvention,
For a new year.
The Lord, the Lord himself,
is my strength
and my defense;
he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)
For a new year.
Christmas reinforces
Your presence,
Your restorative plans.
The launch pad,
For a new year.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things... (Psalm 98:1)
I will sing a new song,
With hope and joy,
For a new year.
Amen.
