A new song to learn as we enjoyed our croissants and muffins -
"My hope rests firm on Jesus Christ"
Several elements helped us to explore this theme of New Beginnings
**breadsticks to dip in honey: think about the things we are looking forward to this year and take a moment to thank God for always being there.
**some clay, to create a model of ourself: asking God to mould us to make us into the person he intended us to be.
**felt tips, acetate and water: what do we want to leave behind? a clean slate! Goid makes all things new.
A Reflection: The New Birth
'Turn over a new leaf,' they said. 'Start again,' they said.
'Forget the past and aim for the future.'
So I turned, but the leaf wouldn't stay.
I tried, but I couldn't get started.
I made an effort - I really made an effort - oh, how I made an effort to go forward.
But as soon as I turned round, there was the past behind me,
mocking, taunting, threatening.
So I sat down and wept.
And it was there I met him, the man of sorrows, the healer, the wonderful counsellor.
There, amidst my tears, I recognised him.
'Leave the past,' he whispered. 'You can start again,' he said.
'Behold, I am doing a new thing.'
So I beheld; I looked; I listened. I waited for a new thing to spring up.
And I wasn't disappointed. Like the early bulbs of the year,
first one, then another, then another appeared.
As flowers began to blossom, so winter gave way to spring.
So, gradually, my past gave way to a new future.
New interests replaced old habits.
What I had tried so hard to forget became what I could not remember.
All things had become new. (Roots on the Web)