THE LIGHT WHO HOLDS OUR YEARS
The festive music has become quiet, and the decorations are slowly coming down. My home has returned to its familiar rhythms, yet, just days ago, I stood in the kitchen preparing our Christmas Eve meal with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing a little too loudly in the background.
As this new year opened, I found myself reflecting on the one that has passed. It held triumph and joy, along with disappointment and uncertainty. Some moments still warm my heart while others I carry more carefully. We all enter a new year bringing with us memories, unanswered questions, and quiet hopes for what might be ahead.
The festive lights that filled our homes and streets have not disappeared all at once. A few still glow in windows and along rooftops. On Christmas Eve, as I listened to the sweet and imagined story of ol’ Rudy and his bright red nose shining the way on a foggy night, it reminded me of the longing we all have for light when the way forward is unclear.
Now that this new year is underway, that longing for light remains. We are stepping into days we cannot predict, plans that may or may not work out and resolutions that are already being tested. Some of us are clear about the way ahead and others of us are walking into this year with more questions than answers.
Yet, the certain truth we carry with us into January is that all those Christmas lights pointed toward the Christ, the true light in a foggy world.
He is Lord of our past. Nothing from the year behind us is beyond His reach. He holds both our joys and our sorrows with tenderness. Even that which feels unfinished or unresolved rests securely in His mercy.
He is Lord of the present. Of this ordinary January day. Of our return to routines and responsibilities. He is not distant or disengaged. He is present with us now, steady and attentive, shaping us in small, unseen ways.
He is Lord of the future. Of the months we have just begun. Of the paths we have yet to walk and the fog we may encounter along the way. When we cannot see clearly, may we trust the Light who already shines ahead of us, calling us forward.
Jesus is Lord of our history. He is Lord of our present moment, and he is Lord of all that is to come. As we move into this year, may we do so, placing our trust not in certainty, but in Christ - the Light who holds all our years with loving tenderness and merciful grace.
May we think on these things!