A New Tradition

I entered the church in the rapidly gathering dusk, a bit breathless after the rushed dash from work to arrive in time for the New Year's Eve service. Not being a party kind of New Year's celebrator, I was intrigued by the idea of welcoming the new year in a different way. The sanctuary lights were dimmed; all the altar candles flickered in the quiet church. The two tall trees flanking the altar were lit with their tiny white lights.A handful of people were scattered among the pews. I recognized everyone from the Saturday evening 'regulars.' Karen walked up and down the center aisle, lighting the candles held high overhead by tall, wooden candlesticks. I knelt and quieted my heart and mind to match the hush within the sanctuary. At the stroke of 5pm Elizabeth began the service which reminded me of a Christmas service of Lessons and Carols. Bible passages were read followed by a psalm or canticle, a prayer, and then a moment of quiet. The passages reflected God's instructions from the beginning...the Ten Commandments...to the end...verses from Revelations. Elizabeth's homily invited us to mark this time of transistion with the ritual of pausing to reflect on the past before moving into the future; to acknowledge the trials of 2008, as well as the possibilities of 2009; and to know that in life with God through Christ, we are blessed with grace no matter what the external circumstances are in the world. We took several minutes to reflect in silence what this meant to each of us. Although the silence was immense, almost palpable, it felt very warm and full of love as this small group joined in community to seek God's will for our lives. Since we were a small group, Elizabeth invited us to come forward together for the Holy Eucharist. We circled the table, and we each offered communion to our neighbor. It was a powerful expression of God's love. And a powerful way to end the old year before moving into the new. I hope to make this a New Year's tradition.