Day 11/January 4 Devotion

Reflection by Katie Evans, Metro D.C. Synod Administrative Assistant for Candidacy & Mobility

We are four days into a new year. A new year is often met with commitments made to ourselves or others, or a feeling of hope in the promise of new opportunities. This year, much like most of 2020, it may be hard to know what will happen in a week, let alone in a month or more. For some, it might feel difficult to make commitments or set goals that would’ve been set in the past. For others, it’s hard to find hope, and if hope is found, it spurs from the chance of “going back to normal” or “back to the way things were.”

While it’s easy to find reassurance in what is known, God reminds us in the verses from Isaiah to not get caught up in our past or our old ways. God calls on us to recognize God’s work in creating a new way forward, not back. As our country moves closer to a vaccine, and God willing an end to this pandemic, it becomes easier to slip back into the things of old, especially for those of us who benefit from our current system. This is when we need to find community in one another to hold each other accountable to stick to the new paths God is calling us walk. Paths that lead us to addressing the injustices we witness, and bringing our loved ones on the journey with us. Working towards a country where all people can find justice and hope. 

Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Questions to Ponder

1. How are we holding ourselves accountable to continue working for racial justice?
2. How are we bringing our communities along with us in this journey? 
3. What practices or actions could help us from slipping back into the old ways of the past?

Silence for Reflection

Prayer

Loving God, walk with us on our journey into this new year. Give us the strength to keep moving and to not get stuck in the trap of what is easy or comfortable. Guide us as we work to address the injustices of this world. Amen.