As of today, January 6, we are on the twelfth day of Christmas; perhaps I should finally think about taking my lights down. For all of my eagerness to say good-bye to 2021 followed by the false starts we experienced around Covid all last year, the cautious side of me asks, "Can I trust 2022 to be any better?" After all, I thought 2021 just HAD to be way better than 2020 yet the reality was not so convincing. So what about 2022? How should I approach her? Can I trust again, finally?
I choose confidence and here's why. The last two years have only reinforced the old adage that the only constant is change. This reality makes God's word of constancy through Isaiah all the more relevant:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-7, NRSV
This Sunday we will remember our baptism, God marking us as redeemed, called and beloved. God is with us in our baptismal water so that we go through the deep waters of life with confidence – no matter what. So I choose confidence but I do not choose it alone. I choose it alongside everyone else who has been redeemed, called and is beloved. I choose confidence alongside you – the body of Christ – with whom I stand and face 2022 ... and trust.
See you at the trusting place this Sunday,
