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Rector's Blog: New Year Same Me

The blog is also available as a podcast

Just before Christmas, I told you about the Christmas cards we hang in our dining room during the holidays. Going into this past Christmas, we noticed that we had received significantly fewer cards than our usual haul. My wife and I wondered for a moment if we should take it personally - had we had been removed from people’s card lists?
But of course, we hadn’t sent out our own Christmas cards yet. It’s possible everyone else was late too?
One year we sent out our cards in February. Yes, February. You might wonder why send them out at all, but we had taken the pictures, we had ordered the cards, they had been delivered and paid for – people were going to get these cards if they were Memorial Day cards.
So, the fact that our cards were late meant nothing: Where were everyone else’s cards?
At 4:00 in the morning on the 26th of December, as we drove to the airport to catch an early flight to see family, I pulled over and dumped a pile of stamped envelopes into a neighborhood mailbox, then jumped back in the car and headed off. We did it! We got the cards out before the New Year! Progress.
This is a good time to say that Christmas cards are not for everyone, and they are not a status symbol or a sign of particular popularity. It’s like some odd club one gets into. Maybe you decide you’re going to send out cards just this one year. But it’s like the mafia – there’s no escape. Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in. Mostly we send cards specifically to the people who have sent cards to us. And for the people in our little Christmas card cult, sometimes that’s the only time we all check in with each other all year. If you don’t get a Christmas card from me and you want one, just tell me. That’s how you get on the list.
Anyway, 8 days later we returned home to a big stack of new cards. And it hit me: It was not that a large group of friends had written us off, it’s that this year they just happened to be as overwhelmed and behind as we usually are!
And I have to tell you this was a great comfort to me. There is such joy in finding out I’m not the only mess I know.
Every time the calendar flips from December to January, I hear the refrain “New Year New Me.” This is what follows Christmas. I am supposed to conclude my celebration of hope and salvation by deciding to become a different person, or failing that, a marginally better person. New Year New You. The assumption being that you are constantly in need of improvement. And, hey, maybe you are. But I keep thinking about the ways we measure ourselves and the ways we fall short of our own expectations.
And I keep thinking about that stack of cards. A bunch of us were judging ourselves for not being punctual enough in reminding people that we are thinking about them. We were embarrassed by our tardy thoughtfulness. Frustrated by our unwavering humanity. But we knew we couldn’t make any changes midseason, we just had to get through it and enjoy as much as we could.
And I did enjoy it, this Christmas season. I always do somehow. Amidst all the expectation and self-judgment and busyness, and the surprise snowstorms and arctic blasts, we all find ways to celebrate God’s love here on earth. It’s like some powerful, vulnerable spiritual act of defiance against the colder shorter days. The ridiculousness of cutting down a tree and putting it inside your house, then taking a bunch of lights from inside and sticking them outside your house is an act of audacity.
We have the audacity to say that God is showing up in the here and now to love us and our late cards just as we are. We even believe it sometimes. The true fountainhead of joy – the belief that we could be loved for who we are by the One who knows us best.
New Years is us waking up the next day, all vulnerable and hungover and embarrassed that we could ever celebrate that kind of love, that kind of utter grace – the grace of the God who knows us and loves us and is here right now sharing life with us and actually happy about it. We say, this is too good to be true. My cards were late, half my gifts weren’t delivered on time, I was too short with that cashier, I cut someone off, I wasn’t thoughtful enough, organized enough, joyful enough, didn’t work hard enough, and I ate way too much sugar. Jesus deserves better!
New Year New Me. Jesus is coming again next December, and I have a whole year to earn it – to become the kind of person Jesus wouldn’t mind loving.
Maybe our obsession with the New Year really is a kneejerk reaction to the sheer impossible beauty of the Christmas promise: Our unconditional belovedness.
So, I’m going to just say this here: New Year Same Me. I’m not going to try to be a better person this year. I’m going to sit with Christmas a little longer, even if I take down the lights and the tree. Even if I’m glad for the lightening of my schedule and the lengthening of days. I’m going to keep being imperfect, ridiculous, audacious, tardy and thoughtful me. Maybe the same God who loved me so much last month will keep it up in 2023.


Tags: Rector's Blog

Sermons

  • Mar 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    The Present Past
  • Mar 12 | Tym House
    Direct Access to Grace
  • Mar 6 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Being Righteous
  • Feb 27 | The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
  • Feb 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Superman Transfigured

Rector's Blog

  • Mar 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, When God Feels Like It
  • Mar 17 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, But Through Me
  • Mar 10 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 2
  • Mar 3 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 1
  • Feb 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Better Not Easier

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2944 Erie Ave. · Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 321-6700
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The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
2944 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45208

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Welcome Children Service Times Membership Contact Us

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer! We invite and welcome ALL to join us in worship and community. In addition to worship, we have a vibrant music community, a fun and welcoming community for children and youth, plus offerings for everyone from young adults to seniors, covering many varied interests.

The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Rector

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We love children, and children love Church of the Redeemer!

Children are at the heart of life at Church of the Redeemer. Children learn about the word of God through our Children's Christian Education programs; they are involved in worship services, they play music in our services, and they form lifelong friendships with each other through their experiences.

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On Sundays we have an 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I service, a 9:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II service (which is also livestreamed), an 11:00 am Banquet Eucharist service and a 5:00 pm Celtic Eucharist service.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we offer Morning Prayer on our Online Worship Podcast.

On Wednesdays, we offer Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 6:00 pm in the Chapel.

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The community of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer welcomes you! We are glad that you have chosen to explore your faith here and hope that this document can answer some of the questions you may have about Church of the Redeemer. We seek to be an open, inviting community. Our invitation to you is to join us as we grow in faith and reach out in love to others. At Church of the Redeemer we are always seeking to know Jesus and grow in love. We hope that in whatever ministries you undertake will strengthen your relationship with him through your ministry and fellowship here.

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PARKING: Parking is on the street. Please pay attention to the signs indicating proper parking zones. Handicapped parking is available in the front on Erie, in the back parking lot, and on the south side of Raymar.

ACCESSIBLE REDEEMER: The front entrance has a ramp and there is an elevator inside the back door and to the left. Accessible restrooms are located in the Lobby inside the front entrance.


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Flowers in our holy worship spaces are a beautiful gift to God and those who attend services at Church of the Redeemer as well as those being honored or remembered. A contribution to the Flower Fund is a meaningful way to honor or remember a loved one for special life events such as birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, confirmations, thanksgivings, or in memory of a loved one.

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The Church of the Redeemer is blessed to have received special gifts from parishioners who wanted Redeemer to have permanent savings to care for our facilities and to supplement our pledge income.

Such permanent savings are often called an “endowment.” The endowed funds are permanently set aside by donors or by the Vestry. Some of our donors have specified uses for their endowment gifts. A limited portion of the funds is distributed each year to supplement our general budget. All funds are invested with professional advice.

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For 2023, we ask that you make your commitment through regular scheduled electronic giving, if possible. Whether it be weekly or annually, giving electronically is a safe and sustainable way to ensure your continued financial support.

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Your planned legacy gift to the Church of the Redeemer is a practical way for you to empower generations to come. It is a powerful witness of faith, love, and gratitude. This type of gift recognizes the heritage left by those who came before us and acknowledges that we bear a responsibility to the future faithful - to insure the continuation of God’s work within and beyond Church of the Redeemer.

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