Happy? New Year

A little after 6 PM, Sunday, January 1, I rushed to the emergency room at a local hospital, where I found Fred and Helen, his wife. Fred had become dreadfully ill earlier that day and worsened throughout the afternoon.

A little after 6 PM, Monday, January 2, I watched with Helen as the doctor and nurse in ICU shut down the life-support system. Fred's situation was catastrophic; he was dying fast and there was nothing anyone could do.

Today, Friday, January 6, 2006, I officiated at a memorial service for Fred.

Our new year began on the same note as the old one ended: sleeplessness, anxiety, death, and mourning. It has not been a smooth transition to 2006. As we were flying home from Houston, Ruth said she was going to wipe 2005 off the calendar. For us it had been a year of personal distress, declining health, and the loss of friends and family. 2005 seemed like a good year to forget. And then comes January!

God has unique ways to help us remember that He is mindful of our problems and disappointments, and by trusting Him with our lives we can look for better times. You see, Friday, January 6, the day of Fred's memorial, was the beginning of the Season of Epiphany.

Epiphany (signifying "manifestation") is that time in the Christian year when we remember the different ways in which God showed His glory in the teachings and life of Jesus of Nazareth. It begins with the Magi visiting the infant Jesus and ends with the raising of Lazarus. It was a time of miracle and joy, even though shadowed by the cross. Celebrating Epiphany, about seven weeks, helps us to refocus our lives, to rethink our direction, and to make commitments that will help us grow and be stronger spiritually. I think this emphasis is the way to begin a new year.

Epiphany helps me rethink 2005. Even with its difficulties a grandson of ours graduated from high school and began college; another grandson received a degree from graduate school and was married; our four daughters and their families had much to celebrate… and we celebrated with them. Ruth was able to spend a lot of time with her dying sister and that had wonderful benefits for their relationship. In fact, when you look at it, 2005 was a good year!

I am glad we are in the Season of Epiphany. I am glad to relax, if only for a short while, in the comfort of God's love and the beauty Jesus brings into our lives. I know there will be some dark days to cope with this year, but I also know God will help us do that. In Christ, sorrow becomes joy, pain becomes freedom, depression becomes hope, and death becomes life. So bring on 2006; it doesn't look too bad in the light of Epiphany.

Jerry L. Mercer