Church New Year's Eve Resolutions

Tomorrow will be the first day of a new church year- the first Sunday in Advent.

I usually think of Christ the King Sunday as the "eve", but technically... here I sit on a Saturday night at the true eve of the church year.

Yes, yes, the calendar is arbitrary, etc, etc. Nevertheless, here we are.

In Judaism, the Days of Awe- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the days in between- mark a new year, a time of atonement, and a sense of focused worship both as a course corrective for one's relationship with the Creator and as preparation for the living of another year.

In Christianity, we often experience the course corrective during Lent. Once upon a time, Advent was a companion season to Lent- a shorter time of reflection, penitence, and metanoia before a festival (Christmas).

The season of waiting has lost some of that flavor, but it doesn't have to. We can still take these few weeks- four Sundays and a handful of weekdays- and reorient ourselves in our relationship with God, with an awareness of the Spirit at work, and in anticipation of the coming of Christ, for we do not know that hour.

Now is a good time to make some spiritual resolutions. Tell a friend or find a partner for accountability in your resolve. Find the work you need to do to keep awake, alert, and prepared for God and God's reign. The time is at hand.

We always find ourselves on that Eve.