Signs and Wonders
Happy New Year, Chapel Hill!
When I was living in Spokane, WA, I had a love-hate relationship with January. I loved that the calendar was new and blank, waiting to be filled with plans and adventures. I hated that Christmas was over, that the snow no longer seemed magical—it’s just what we were left with until spring graced us with her presence. I loved the possibility, but found the ordinary far too boring, especially after a season of parties and presents and twinkling lights and glitter. The possible and the ordinary. I still experience this internal battle each January, and as I think about how we ring in the new year at Chapel Hill, I’m beginning to see how important both the possible and the ordinary are.
The first weekend in January each year finds the Chapel Hill family celebrating what we call a Renewal of Baptismal Vows service. That sounds very fancy, especially to a simple non-denominationally-raised girl like myself, but all it really means is that we take time to remember. To remember that it is God who has called and pursued and rescued us; to confess again that we believe Jesus is our only Savior; to recommit to dying to ourselves every day that we may follow Jesus and join Him in His mission of reconciling all things to Himself. And how do we remember all this? With a little bit of water, gently marked on our foreheads in the sign of a cross. Just a little tap water from the sink in the sacristy, behind the organ. Just a pastor or an elder, with the same hands that make dinner and do yard work and pay bills. The whole thing couldn’t be any more ordinary. And yet, the possible is so present it’s nearly tangible. What will God call us to this year? How will we see Him at work? What will He stir in us that we never saw coming?
The possible and the ordinary. Signs and wonders both, don’t you think? Join us this weekend, on Saturday night or Sunday morning, as we jump back into the Story, but also as we look back at 2015 and recommit ourselves to our ever-faithful God. And if you’ve never been baptized and want to talk with someone, elders will be available at every service and we’ll provide an opportunity for you to be baptized right then or at a later date of your choosing. See you soon!
Kathryn McIvor
Worship Director