The month of January gets its name from the ancient Roman god, Janus. Janus was the god of beginnings and endings. He was a two-faced deity. One face looked back to the past. The other face looked forward to the future. Honestly, from the vantage point of January 2022, neither view looks all that rosy. 2021 began with the hope that the race to develop and distribute COVID vaccines would prove to be the solution for subduing the disease so that life could return to normal. But viral variants and variances among human choices with regards to being vaccinated, masking, and avoiding crowded social situations has left us wondering when, or even whether 2022 will see the ending of this pandemic. We, as Christians, also worship a God of beginnings and endings. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13). The ancient Romans relied on sacrifices and superstitions to try and manipulate Janus into granting them favorable outcomes to their transitions. The God who is known to us in Jesus does not need to be bribed or coerced to do what is best for us. Jesus himself is the sacrifice that demonstrates beyond a doubt the depth of God’s love for us. Ours is only to have faith in that love. And to share that love through choices that truly embody what it is to love one’s neighbor as much as one loves oneself.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Ray