Moments for Reflections & Intentions
January invites us to look forward, but it’s also worth pausing to notice where we’ve been and how we’ve grown together over the past year. Some language surrounding new year’s resolutions includes setting intentions, which is understood to promote mindful integration of values and actions.
Working at HCC through the fall offered many opportunities to witness this community living into our identity: curious questions asked in confirmation class, laughter shared between confirmands and their sponsors, and the steady teamwork that made the tree lot not only a success, but a place of real community connection. We heard the contemplations of our young leaders as they shared their understanding of Emmanuel, God With Us, through the Christmas Pageant and the commissioning of our teens as they reflected on their experience joining in community with unhoused neighbors in Boston. Their words feel like both a reflection of who we have been and a guide for who we hope to become:
“Bless those who treat everyone fairly.
Bless those who treat people with openness and compassion.
May we become a people who listen first rather than judge first.
May we go forth and share names, share conversations, and share stories with someone new.
May we offer up our best and not our leftovers.”
As January unfolds, those values continue to take shape with confirmation students visiting Sha’aray Shalom for Shabbat on January 9, embracing new experiences that foster respect and understanding across differences. Men of the church will gather for fellowship on their weekend retreat and new faces that want to live into the gift of this community will be welcomed with the Newcomer’s Lunch on January 11. What a joy it is to begin a new year grounded in hospitality, curiosity, and care.
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In peace,