A new year, a new month, or even a new week, we often look at the beginning of the “thing” as the best time to start something different. We look at the markers of time transitioning, & we think, “Now is the time I should start…” This is, I believe, part of the concept of resolutions & determinations to make different choices & actions happen in our lives. It’s almost like we perceive the point in time as the point that will mystically & magically change the patterns & attitudes & actions that have come before. New beginnings remind me of the “in the beginning” language that opens the books of Genesis & John.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens & the earth.” (NIV)
“In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God.” (NIV)
This concept of perfect timing and divine activity creates something new. The creation of the heavens & the earth. The Advent of the Almighty coming to earth. These two distinct points, because God is perfection & perfecting, became the perfect times for creating newness. And so we, in our reflection of the imago Dei, believe we can identify the ideal timing for something new to begin: a new year.
Here is my question: How do we, as people of faith, look at the timing of the new idea as perfectly timed regardless of the time of year? We often look at the timing of things & consider them in the light of the larger context. Do we have the money, free time, motivation, or whatever resources necessary to achieve the new idea or concept brought to light in our minds? What would happen if we considered the timing of the new idea becoming a consciously aware thing as the perfect timing to begin the steps to achieving it?
If we keep reading Genesis, we realize that the conditions of creation were not necessarily “perfect.”
“The earth was complete chaos & darkness covered the face of the deep.” (2, NRSVUE)
Instead of trying to act as if we know when the timing of something new is perfect, what if we realized that even in chaos, our God is ready to create something new? In the beginning, chaos & darkness were present, both in the beginning of God creating the heavens & the earth & in the beginning, when the Word was with God & Jesus came to earth as a baby. Even today, the world is chaos & darkness seems to cover everything. And Yahweh is still birthing new life, new purpose, new opportunities. The question is whether or not we are willing to look & see what is being done.
In Christ’s Love,
