Archives: Watchword

Beginning the new year, here are bits of wisdom to get your new year off to a good start:

“You’ll never get bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do.” — Dr. Seuss

“The best is yet to come.” — Frank Sinatra

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C S Lewis

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”  — Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” — T.S. Eliot

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” — Germany Kent

You are never too old to start the next book.  — Stan Escott

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year has gone, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

— Alfred Lord Tennyson

Change in Watchwords:

Friends — A reminder that for the New Year, the Watchword will come to you once a week, on Wednesdays, and in each edition I will prayerfully seek to  distill a full week’s worth of inspiration. Occasionally, as inspiration and opportunity presents, I will send additional Watchwords on other days, each will come to you in your e-mail. May your New Year be filled with God’s blessings.  Stan

A Prayer for the New Year:

As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. May God’s blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year. God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly, thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others, mindful that our steps make an impact and our words carry power. May we walk gently, for we are your children. Amen.

WATCHWORD:

⁸ Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. ⁹ Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!

¹⁰ Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. ¹¹ Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for You! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! ¹² You will know You have found Him when You see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.

¹³ At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers—a vast heavenly choir. They praised God.

¹⁴ Heavenly Choir: To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God! Luke 2:8-14 The Voice

Meditation:

Christmas Is Over!

Christmas day has come and gone. Wait!  That’s not right!  Let me start over — Christmas day has come, thank God.  Christ is with us now and forever, as he has always been. What’s his name? That’s right, Emmanuel, God with us. Make it personal, God with you! God with me! Live that!

We are so privileged, and I’m afraid, too often, we are careless with the blessings we have been given. The greatest present we could ever receive is the Presence of our Lord.  Think on this: The Creator of everything, the heavens and the earth, the stars that shine, the beauty around us, the snow that falls, the animals large and small, your loved ones, on and on and on.  All gifts to You and to me, free and clear, batteries included. Complete. The only thing remaining is our acceptance of these gifts, as we accept this Divine Baby, this Savior and Lord, this God Almighty in the manger. Do not minimize the power and glory of the Gift that has been given.

From Verse A Day: The arrival of Christ is cause for celebration! ‘Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’  Lord Jesus, we are so grateful for You and to You. It’s because of You that all people have been extended grace; and in surrender to You, we find true life.  You lived to do the will of God the Father.  Lord, please give us the courage to live for You, and help us remember that Your Grace is sufficient, it’s enough.  You offered us the greatest gift we can ever receive: Eternal life with our Father in Heaven. How can we thank You enough? We praise You God and say with open hearts, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom Your grace and favor rests. Amen.

Doxology Prayer:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above the Heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen

WATCHWORD

⁵ Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  Romans 5:1-8

Meditation:

Almost There?

[This Watchword was posted December 21, two years ago. Still it fits this Christmas season.]

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…for Christmas. We’re all excited because visiting grandpa and grandma was the highest spot of any travel we do with these kids. I should keep track of all the times I’ve heard the cry from the back seat, ‘Are we almost there, daddy, are we almost there?’ and most of the time we weren’t ‘almost there’ but we were getting closer.

Maybe in years past you’re the one making that call from the backseat, wondering how much longer it will be till we get where we want to be. Well, here we are, all of us are in the backseat, we are all calling out ‘how much longer…will be be dealing with variants? Are we getting closer to back to normal? We don’t want to wait much longer.

We are all anxious to get back to what was our old normal, kind of, but in the back of our minds I think we are all hoping that this new version of our normal is going to be better than the old version of our normal. We’ve had quite a stretch this year, and we have learned a lot from these past months. But we want this class to be over, we want to take what we have learned, and maybe apply it so as we go beyond the RSV, the variants, the need for still another booster. Are we better people, stronger people, people whose time with the Lord is stronger for all of this testing we’ve gone through? That’s the question.

We have had this question before, but what have we learned? I talked to friend of mine not too long ago, who is in the depths of fatigue, feels a sense of depression. While he didn’t use these words, what he seemed to be telling me was he wasn’t sure he could take anymore. But I know that his faith is strong and he will get beyond this, but for him, it’s been a long, painful, hard slog.

It calls to mind the question I had asked in an earlier Watchword: What could I say to you that would bring you comfort, that would encourage you, that would strengthen you as you go through this adversity? That is still an appropriate question, but one that we need to grapple with. What is better than an encouraging word? Our presence in their lives. True, but maybe that is not an option. So, the next best thing, is letting them know that you there and thinking of them. You know, the “Just touching base” telephone call, text or email goes a long way toward encouragement.

Are we almost there? Getting much closer, so let us praise the Lord for health and for science. We can almost see the new normal, up there, in the light, at the end of this tunnel.  Amen.

Bulletin Board:

Over the river and through the woods,
To grandmother’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,
Through (the) white and drifted snow!

Over the river and through the woods,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Closing Prayer:

Let Your goodness, Lord, appear to us, that we, made in your image, conform ourselves to it. In our own strength, we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder nor is it fitting for us to try. But Your mercy reaches from the heavens through the clouds to the earth below. You have come to us as a small child, but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal love. Caress us with Your tiny hands, embrace us with Your tiny arms and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.”  Amen.      –St. Bernard of Clairvaux