The End: Reflection on Possibilities for the Future

            After so much preoccupation with daily work and immediate responsibilities, let us pause to reflect on our possibilities for the future. May hope and trust in God inform us as we envision what lies ahead. We pray God will continue to watch over us as we pursue our goals and create the lives we want to live. We pray our futures will be filled with the love of friends and family and the service we can provide to others. We give thanks to God for all the gifts and opportunities we can see waiting for us. We move forward filled with the security and promise of God’s love.

Photo by author

May 1: Searching for God’s Presence in the World

           With so much chaos and tragedy in the world, we may find it impossible to see God’s presence in the world. So we pause to dig beneath the surface of shock in search of God’s light. May we discover God in those who emerge to serve and empathize in the wake of devastation. May we search out the beauty of Creation, both in nature and in humanity. We pray that these examples give us hope and inspire us to continue to emulate God’s light on Earth. No matter how dark the world may seem, we ask that God continue to show us divine presence in our world and in our lives.

Photo by author

January 1: Blessings for the New Year

New Years Day: January 1

 

            We ask God to bless this New Year. May we continue to grow and learn within God’s care. We request help and motivation in achieving our resolutions and bettering ourselves. May this time be one of hope rather than stress and pressure. We pray for a fulfilling year for ourselves and for all those we love. May God continue to nurture the earth and help us make this year better than the last. May God heal all this past year’s wounds and prepare us for the potential of the new.

Photo by author, taken at the Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Malaysia during Chinese New Year 2016

December 28: Meditation on the Birth of Christ

Christmas Recess: December 21-January 2 

            May God grant us time on this day to meditate on the Nativity of Jesus. Let us reflect on the hope of the scene of seemingly ordinary people gathered around a newborn baby. With this image, we see humanity reborn in the most unlikely of places. We are reminded that renewal, even on the grandest of scales, is not impossible. We give thanks to God for unending hope in the form of Christ’s Birth and maintain the belief in God’s transformative power in our own lives. We celebrate this holiday by holding this image in our minds and proceeding in the days following with the same sense of love and promise.

Photo by author, taken during Christmas in Christ Chapel 2016