Endings Are Beginnings

The year ended. The year began. Endings mark beginnings, and all beginnings have endings.

Last Sunday I attended First Trinity Lutheran Church’s ending after 157 years. An ending - yes. A beginning - yes. A beginning for the 5 - 10 people who were worshiping there as they find a new place to worship. A beginning for the congregation who bought the building and now have a permanent worship center. A beginning for new life to flow through 157 years of God’s faithfulness and the proclamation of God’s grace in new ways undetermined as of today. Yet, we know God is at work and God’s love & grace never fail even when beginnings mask as endings.

One of my devotion books for this year is one I highly recommend: A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass. Every page has wonderful insights. She is practical and inspiring in her writings. What I read today reminded me of an important quote by T. S. Elliot that I leave with you.

“What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.”

(Thank you Julie Oehme for the gift of this truly beautiful devotional book. I read “The Greatest Christmas Special Ever Aired” from this book for my Christmas Eve sermon as I found it to be so very powerful. You can listen to Diana’s words here at about 30 minutes in.)

God loves you and so do I!