Did December or January bring something new into your life for 2020? Maybe a new grandchild, a new hobby, a new friendship, or a new horizon like retirement? Each Sunday we’re also thinking about what’s new. In the Sundays after Epiphany, we give thanks that God “… has caused a new light to shine in our hearts.”

We don’t always think of something new as also being a form of light, but in so many ways it can be.

Friends tell me that the smile of a new grandchild feels like sitting in a sunbeam’s warmth or catching sight of the rainbow after dark clouds. Family tells me that the restfulness of new retirement feels like fully enjoying the warmth of a well-kindled fire. Think of all the things that light can do: it can brighten, lighten, bring warmth, spark joy, and be a source of power (just to name a few of its attributes).

Whatever is coming into your life in 2020, what would it be like to consider it a “new light” that’s part of the same “new light” we pray for at the Eucharist on the Sundays after Epiphany? Would you call the new-ness of 2020 a bright sunbeam, a tender rainbow, a shiny LED bulb, or a flickering candle? Whatever shape and size your “new light” takes, I hope that you’ll kindle its spark and enjoy its warmth.

Your Sister in Christ,

Molly+