Dear Ones,
Happy New Year! I look forward to welcoming the New Year with you at our Worship Service on Sunday, January 4th. The symbolism of a new beginning holds a certain power- a lure into possibilities, full of excitement and hope.
I will be honest: this month’s Soul Matters theme- Resistance- is not really the one I want to begin the year with. Maybe I am a bit naive- or a bit exhausted- but my first impulse is to respond with, well, resistance to this theme! I want to walk through the doorway of 2026 with an open heart, not a fight song. Yes, I will continue showing up for the work– marching, speaking, singing for justice. But I want to root my resistance in contemplation and love.
Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax instructs meditators to develop a soft front and a strong back, recognizing that we need both openness and boundaries in order to create equanimity. Sometimes our own resistance to change and growth can keep us stuck- and maybe that is the message we might need to fully embrace in the new year together. What do each of us need to be fully alive as individuals, and to embrace our collective power? What patterns in ourselves do we need to resist in order to become fully who we are? Maybe it is bitterness or an old attachment you are holding onto too tight. Or perhaps your fear of vulnerability (or rejection, or failure, or loss of control, etc.) Or maybe it is the deep-seated belief that you are not enough that keeps you from embracing your wholeness, your creativity, your fullness of being. Each one of us has something that is holding us back from our blooming.
This month I invite us all to resist these messages and embrace new stories for our lives and our world. Let’s bolster our collective power as a community by strengthening our foundations and opening wide our hearts to a deeper love.
I am available this week on Sunday, January 4th, Monday, January 5th, and Wednesday, January 7th. You are all invited to join me for lunch in the Community Room on Wednesday, January 7th. Let’s chat about the new year! Bring your own lunch and something to share. In person pastoral care, counseling, and other appointments in January can be made via my calendly.
