Today, of course, is the day for a lot of people to make resolutions and renew their lives.  But this concept of renewal is elemental, fundamental in our lives. We make a vow of conversion, which means, we=re always on the journey of drawing nearer to God. And therefore, drawing nearer to one another. Because the connection between our nearness to God is manifested by nearness we have toward each other. If we can=t stand each other=s presence then we are really doing the same thing to God. And so, it=s interesting to me and profound, I believe, that the church has placed this feast on the first of January. Because it=s clearly the question of the new Eve and the new Adam and the new creation is made available to us. And so we have to look at what we=re doing when we are thinking of preparing for visitation and for strategic planning for the next five years or so about how we want to see the direction of the Abbey go. Not just each of us but all of us. 

        What are we doing? We=re basically saying we believe that God is guiding this community. And if you've been listening to even the prayers of today=s Lauds, there=s a number of places where it says either positively or negatively, "God leads his people in his light or my people do not want to follow me.@ So one of the first questions we have to ask on this feast is: do we have any sense that God is guiding us? Individually and together. After all, He=s doing it. Do we have any sense at all? And then, of course, since this is obviously in the second reading clearly focused on the fact that Jesus as the Son of God becomes the son of man. We because of Him have become sons of God and we can call God, Abba, Father. 

        Another key question is: have I any sense that I am a child of God? Do I have any feeling for it, any idea, any practical way in which I really turn to God with a confidence and the openness and the trust of a little child running and hoping on my father=s lap? And not just in prayer but knowing that I am guided by this powerful, caring presence. Jesus lived this way twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And we are baptized into Jesus, therefore, we have the same spirit of anointing, that is, the love embraces us that embraced Jesus. The father=s love for his Son was reciprocated by the Son=s love for his Father and He did the Father=s will out of love. And so how long have we been in the monastery and yet we still haven=t discovered, right here, we are His children. We are guided, directed, enlightened, embraced by a love that=s incomprehensible. And does it show in the way we treat each other and the people that come? Now if we don=t have this kind of origin, then we start looking at the preparation for visitation and for strategic planning, we will be way off base. We will do things out here. We shuffle, as the one preacher says, Ait=s like moving the deck chairs on the Titanic.@ When what needs to be done is get more life boats out there. So I think the smartest thing to do today is that we pause and then renew our Baptism vow. Because in Baptism we took a stand in relationship to God. We became God=s children. We were anointed by the Spirit. And therefore, we are in the family of God. Not just us here but all the saints who are in glory right now having a banquet, lot better than our party last night. And enjoying a fullness of grace and happiness that God had every moment that He=s now shared with them. 

        I=m going to give you a few moments to reflect, then we can renew our Baptism vows. This will take care of the Creed. Please stand.

Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God=s children?     I do.

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