Crossing Into the New Year

From Joyce Rupp’s January 2026 Newsletter

January 15, 2026

(Psalm119:105) by Nabil Ebraheim

Companioning Spirit, a new year beckons.

As I cross the threshold from the past

into the unknown territory that lies ahead,

be a lamp under my feet so every step I take

is accompanied by grace-filled clarity.

Lead me into situations that draw forth

my abilities to be a person of good will

whose actions bear the mark of peace.

Move me to kindhearted decisions based

on the primary call to be compassionate

toward others, and also toward myself.

Guide me when I encounter uncertainty,

entangled with worries or self-doubt,

and fraught with choosing what I am to do.

Summon me to the altar of unselfishness

when I want to cling to what prevents me

from generously sharing my time and care.

Remind me every day that I am still more

than who I now am, that I am continuing

to become the person I’m meant to be.

Surround me with your durable strength

when I feel vulnerable or incapable of

adequately meeting what is being required.

Enrich me with the gifts of wonder and awe

through encounters with people and events,

and the endless marvels found in nature.

Draw me fuller into union with your love

and closer to the persons whose kinship

infuses my spirit with joy and confidence.

Companion of my Soul, you accompany me

into this new year. I renew my trust in you

as I traverse my inner and outer pathways.

Song for Meditation: To Everything There is a Season by Ed Harris; sung by the Sheltering-In (Virtual) Choir of FPC Downey. Remote contributions: Rebecca King Sommer, Video background by Charles Davis from Pixabay.

https://youtu.be/DTC9_2wzT_Q?si=_UQZ5UbjnGqkaPoF (lyric/video)

To everything there is a season,

To everything there is a time;

For every purpose under heaven

There is a time, a proper time.

To live and die, to plant and harvest,

To kill and heal, to wreck and build;

To cry and laugh, to mourn and dance,

There is a time, a proper time.

A time to cast away to bring together,

A time to be embraced, to be alone;

To find and lose, to keep and give,

There is a time, there is a time.

To tear apart, to mend together,

To be silent, and to speak;

To love and hate, for war and peace,

There is a time, a proper time.

To everything there is a time.