In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Psalm we just sang, Moses
leads us to pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with Your
steadfast love.” Indeed, you
should pray this each night, but it is especially fitting as we
gather to usher in the new year by receiving the Lord's gifts. For
tonight we sit in darkness and wait.
Just as the sun has set on this day, and a new day will rise with the
dawn tomorrow, so also the time is far spent on this year, and
tomorrow will bring the rising of a new year, with all that brings.
But tonight, we wait – whether eagerly or apprehensively – for
the coming of the new day and the mercies of the Lord to be poured
out anew.
Tonight the old year passes, and tomorrow the new begins. As scores
around the world keep vigil, you will leave the past behind like a
shadow fading in the dawn. The thrills and triumphs of this year will
stand in your memories, but their bloom will fade and their
brilliance dim. The monuments of your achievements will crumble even
as they are newly set. The mind's eye will try to focus upon the good
and leave out the bad, sometimes with more success than others. The
grass withers and the flower fades.
