Happy New Year, New Life

AM Psalm 136 • PM Psalm 118
Exod. 13:1-2,11-16 • 1 Cor. 15:51-58 • Luke 24:1-12

Happy Earth Day! Happy New Year!

You are undoubtedly wondering how we reverted to January, especially now that the days are warm as befitting Earth Day! According to the Jewish calendar as explained in the Torah, we have also entered Nisan, the first month of the Jewish calendar. The Torah calls it chodesh ha-aviv or the “month of spring.” The date commemorates the start of the Exodus from Egypt as detailed in part in our assigned reading from the book of Exodus.

Interestingly, our particular verses from Exodus relate to another Jewish holiday—Passover, which in 2022 is celebrated from April 15 to April 23.You will recall that Pharoah did not heed God’s order, delivered through Moses, to “let my people go” (please tune in to Louis Armstrong’s musical version of “Go Down Moses”). As a result, God tried various means to get Egypt’s attention, such as sending ten plagues, the last of which was to kill all first-born children. However, God spared the first-born of the Israelites, “passing over” their homes.

From my perspective as a mom and grandmom, this is heavy stuff, so I turned with relief to the Psalms for today, both of which are characterized as “songs of ascent.” As I understand the term, these were psalms sung by Hebrew pilgrims while ascending Mount Zion or the steps of the Temple of Jerusalem. Both give thanks for God’s “everlasting loving kindness.”

The selections from I Corinthians and Luke comforted me the most today, as I write this on March 25, after attending a funeral at St. Paul’s for a wonderful member of our parish—a husband, father, and teacher who died too young. I had the privilege of sitting with some of his students who kept wiping away tears during the service. As a former teacher, I kept thinking about how special this person was to his now forever students. The selection from Corinthians reminded me (and, I hope, others who are seeking comfort) that “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Corinthians 15: 51) and “He is not here, but He has risen” (Luke 24:6).

Written by Karen Hodges

...who is grateful for all teachers past and present.