I have heard a number of people talk about 2020 being a difficult year. I have heard some say that last year was a “dark year," as if dark is bad. I am dark, but I am not bad.
In the book of Genesis, it states that God made light and dark and said that they were good. Darkness is good for many things like sleeping and a few other things I can think of that are good. How I describe something can matter a great deal. It may have been a difficult year, a hard year, a bad year. I hope that you understand that from my perspective, that did not make it a dark year.
I was a part of a wonderful virtual joint New Year’s Eve/watch night worship experience. I moved on to New Year’s Day. On to Jan. 4, one of my sons' birthday. Jan. 5 was my wife’s birthday. I felt that I was off to a better year and my hopes were that many good things would happen in 2021.
I heard many people express that they were glad to bid 2020 goodbye and welcome a new year. I heard some say that this would be a year of “God’s favor.” With the vaccines coming on the scene and many new people being elected with new ideas, many of us had gained new hope. As well, many of us were looking forward to a much more positive year in our churches and places of worship.
Then came Jan. 6. Many Christians know that date as Epiphany. When I was growing up, I knew it as “Old Christmas.” It was the time that we took down all of our Christmas items. We did not put up Christmas items until a few days before Christmas. We continued the Christmas season until Old Christmas/Epiphany. Jan. 6 had a different meaning — a special meaning in our lives.
This year, Jan. 6, 2021, I think will go down in history in ways that most of us will never forget as long as we live. It reminded me of how divided we are in this country about what we believe and feel. It was sad for me that I saw mostly white men going up those walls and it was a white woman who lost her life in that chaos. I cannot help but wonder if there had been Black men going up those walls, how many hundreds or thousands of men would have lost their lives. Again, I saw the difference in the way that those white men were treated in what they felt was their call to freedom than it was with the Black Lives Matter movement in our call to freedom and justice.
In spite of what happened on Jan. 6, I still have hope in a better year for 2021. In the first place, I plan to work to make it better for me and all of my brothers and sisters in the United States and the world. One of the ways I plan to do that is: I am pastor of Union Chapel United Church of Christ and I am joining with my white colleague at Union Ridge Church to call our congregations to pray each Monday and Tuesday at noon for the rest of January that the will of God will be done in our lives, churches, country and world. On Mondays, we will pray for God’s help in bringing unity among the individuals in our country. On Tuesdays, we will pray for God’s intervention with the virus. I also plan to find new ways to work for justice and peace for all during 2021.
I remember complaining to a friend about a church member. The woman said to me: “Ervin, pray for the member. It may not change that person, but it will change you.” I shall never forget what that friend told me. I do not know if it changed that member. I do know that it changed me.
Ervin E. Milton is pastor of Union Chapel United Church of Christ. Contact: eem5050@aol.com.
