In preparing
for my reflection today, I read about the time that Samuel, the prophet,
dismissed Saul of his kingly title and authority. Saul had displeased the God of the Israelites
and was now paying the consequences. It
appears Saul misplaced his priorities and, indeed, his responsibilities as king
[1 Samuel 15:16-23]. That storyline led
me to the question: What are our priorities this January day? Two weeks into the new year, I suspect some,
many or all of our New Year’s resolutions are tarnished, broken or
forgotten! Did those resolutions speak,
in fact, to our priorities?
I’m thinking
about the series of historically altering events that have shaped and defined
the last couple of years: the pandemic, racial tensions, political upheavals,
and now, Covid variants, to mention a few.
These events challenged us and set the context in which we live, work,
play, pray and learn. It’s in such an
environment that we have to establish our priorities.
Undoubtedly,
we face challenges and difficulties, but at the start of a new year, we can
focus on the good things that may have happened in our lives: improved health,
a marriage, the birth of a child or grandchild, graduation, or an improved
relationship with God. These are things
we can reflect upon and allow them to temper some of the misfortunes we also
experience.
Whether we’re
looking back, looking ahead or looking where we presently stand, the most
important elements in our life are relationships with others, with family and
with God. These to me are the priorities
around which we can craft an attitude for a new year.
No doubt
many have experienced the effects of the downturn in the economy, the shrinking
job market and the growing ranks of the uninsured. But if we are people of faith—a person of
faith—we believe that God’s plan is at work in our lives—mysterious as that
plan may be. God speaks in ways we may
not understand or even detect; God challenges us in multiple ways—His ways! And in that we are called into a relationship
closer than that of the people of Israel during Saul’s reign and closer than
those who knew and questioned Jesus in Mark’s Gospel [Mark 2:18-22].
In that
gospel scene, some people, genuinely perplexed, approached Jesus, wondering why
the disciples of John the Baptist as well as disciples of the Pharisees
regularly fasted while, when it came to fasting, Jesus’ disciples seemed pretty
carefree. Jesus’ response (“How
can the guests at a wedding fast as long as the groom is among them?”) let them know that to draw away in
fasting while He was in their midst was to completely misread the moment. People who fast at weddings when they ought to
be feasting don’t have their priorities straight. How could they fast when Jesus was right
before them? How could they keep from
joyous celebration when the one who promised them everything was in their
midst? At that moment, was fasting even
defensible?
Like the
misguided wedding guests in the gospel, we too can get so wrapped up in the
habits and routines of our lives—or just the sheer busyness of life—that we
grow numb to the outbursts of grace and goodness, of love and kindness, that
happen all the time. Jesus reminds us
that if our routines and practices dull us to the beckoning presence of God in
our lives, then we need to fast and abstain from those routines and practices
lest we miss the feast to which God calls us each day, the “feast” that is
Jesus always among us, ready and eager to bless.
In my view,
the priorities for 2022 are to maintain a close relationship to God and to one
another. Should that come about, we can
re-make our broken resolutions and with new resolve, celebrate New Year’s every
day.
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