Rectors Report
JANUARY 1ST, 2012

Happy New Year!!

A prayer for New Year's Day
Dear Lord, so far this year I've done really well.
I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent.

But, in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help.                                                                                                         Amen

Greetings as we gather together on this, the first day of a New Year, and continue our celebration of the twelve days of  Christmas. Marian and I have enjoyed visits with family and friends. As well I was happy to be at Melville Lodge to offer greetings and best wishes for the New Year to parishioners who are resident there.

While we continue seasonal celebrations I am also aware of what the beginning of a new year means in the life of our church. It is a busy time as we prepare for our Annual General Meeting.  Preparing for the AGM causes us both to reflect back on the year that was, but it also requires us to develop plans to sustain and grow our community in the new year. With your continued support and leadership I am confident that we will remain a strong parish and provide strong witness that God's kingdom is present here among us.

Heartfelt thanks to the Parish and to each and everyone of you who remembered Marian and I with gifts, cards, and thoughtful words during this Christmas season and throughout the year. Your kindness is very much appreciated.

This morning, as we come to begin another year together, I pray that God will continue to bless each and everyone of you, and that in turn our lives will be a blessing in God's sight, witnessing to the hope and promise that a life in Christ brings with it.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
for auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

One translation of auld lang syne suggest that it means the good old days. Nostalgia, aside, the past is important because of what we can learn from it. However, what we learn should help pave the way for a brighter future, rather than calling for a return to the past. Epiphany, which the Church celebrates on January 6th, can be described as the sudden realization or comprehension of the larger essence or meaning of something (or someone). For the magi it was the realization of how a simple birth was destined to change the world. We may not change the world, but perhaps we can change ourselves, that in us the light of Christ might be seen a bit more brightly.

New Year's Blessings

Rev. Mike