Sermon: New Years Day '21

To the New Year

Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 25-35

Dear Community of Christians,
​
The poet Mörike once completed a poem for the New Year, calling out a hearty, holy welcome to the New Year. He describes the coming as something very tender, delicate, like a little angel which very carefully touches the earth.

Despite the old year, laden with heavy weights, one can still try to follow this image, of the tender, unencumbered beginning of a New Year. But in our individual souls, perhaps this lightness is not so readily found.  In our individual souls there are future desires and hopes weaving and swaying. What can we do to give more space for these wishes and hopes, so that the individual angels can grant us exactly what is right, what is necessary this year?

Our consciousness today is shaped in such a way that we are always exposed to the danger of no longer perceiving the work of the angels. With a childish attitude we could say: “I am grown up.” Certainly, we have to be independent and self-reliant, but this is this too much, we are too self-assured. This often makes the work of the angels difficult and then they have to do more to make us aware of where we are falling short. This is what we can bring to this New Year: to give space to our angel for their work.

Rev. Ute Koenig

To the New Year

by Eduard Mörike 

So quietly, lowly
Like angels that slowly
Aurorally wingèd
Set foot on the earth,
Thus morning drew nearer.
Welcome godfearing
With joy its appearing!
Its holy appearing,
Heart, welcome with mirth!
                           
In Him all beginning
Who reigns, ever spinning,
The moons', suns' and planets'
Celestial parade.
You, Father, you counsel!
Be guide and defense!
Lord, into Thy hands
Beginning and end,
The whole world be laid.

German (Deutsch) to English translation © 2004 by Bertram Kottmann