Fr. Richard Maxwell

Well, here we are ... on the cusp of a new year. The traditional time for us to look back on what has been and simultaneously to look forward to what may be. I'm going to suggest that we spend a few minutes in silent meditation this evening ... but before we begin I'm going to offer you a thought.

I suspect that this is a time of mixed emotions for most of us. Perhaps the past year has been a terrific one for you ... perhaps you're sorry to see it end ... congratulations if that's the case! And perhaps you expect more of the same to come and eagerly await the future ... in which case, I wish you all the best! But I suspect that for most of us, the past year has brought a mixture of blessings and woes ... and that, no matter how optimistic we are, we know that the future is unpredictable. In other words, I suspect that for most of us, New Year's Eve is a truly bittersweet time ... a time that is, in some proportion, both bitter and sweet at the same time.

So on this evening that's all about flux and change, letting go of the old and ringing in the new ... a time that can be both sad and lonely while also being filled with hope ... there's a portion of Scripture that I'd like to remind you of. It's from the letter to the Hebrews (13:5b-6, 8): "Jesus has said,'I will never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?' ... Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Whatever occurs in our lives, Jesus remains the same ...

Are you lonely? He says, "I will be with you." Do you need direction? He says, "I will guide you." Are you in trouble? He says, "Don't be afraid -- my grace is enough for you." At all times and in all situations, Jesus is present with us, lighting our way, guiding us through darkness and danger, accompanying us in joy.

To walk into the new year is to walk into the unknown. It is to cross new terrain, and to travel down new roads. But He who holds the future knows what the future holds. And that same Jesus Christ, untarnished and unchanged through the millennia, promises to walk with His people wherever they may be.

May Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, be your guide and your companion in 2004.

Amen.