Dear Friends,

As a minister I conduct many services. One of the most moving has been the ‘watchnight’ service held on New Year’s Eve, starting at 11.30pm and leading up to the turning of the year at midnight. It provides an opportunity for folk to look back over the year that is approaching its end; to recall particular events, to call to mind family and friends, to remember before God the way in which one’s own life has moved on from this time last year. And then it invites us to think about what the New Year is likely to have in store; to acknowledge the inherent uncertainty that is the ‘future’, to commend to God all that will happen as the year unfolds, and the part we will have in it. I have always thought it appropriate that whilst for many people New Year’s Eve would be an occasion for having fun – fireworks on the square – and much more besides, we should make room for those who would just want to sit quietly in the church. This ‘new year’ will be different – no fun, no fireworks – and no service in the church. But that does not mean that it need be any less meaningful, just because we happen to be at home rather than in church……New Year as we know it has no great significance as far as the history of the Christian Church is concerned. Indeed, for the Church, Advent Sunday is New Year’s Day, the first Sunday of a new liturgical year. But we cannot ignore the fact that from December 31st to January 1st the calendar turns over unlike at any other time of the year. Actually, it means a new calendar for all of us. Turning over a ‘new’ leaf, making a ‘new’ start…What it does do is remind us of the passing of time; time does not stand still, nor can the clock be turned backward; time ticks on in its own metronomic way. We are creatures of time, and our life time is God’s gift to us. The challenge to us, and the events of this year bring it home to us, is to live our life, not watch the clock……At New Year, we often make resolutions. Outlandish promises to give up this or that; to do something new or different; to change our ways for the better. Perhaps 2021 is not a year for making resolutions. Maybe instead we should concentrate on just being ourselves, taking each day as it comes……As a Congregation, we are necessarily isolated; not able to meet together, and it is very easy to lose contact with one another. We have to continue to make sure that as far as possible we retain a sense of being ‘at-one’ with each other. I know that all of you have been doing this, and please do continue and if possible, increase your efforts……Sometime this year, things will change, we look forward to that, but until then, we are where we are and we have to live in the moment. Remember this, God promises to share every moment with us…

A different New Year’s Eve