Happy New Year!
This was the scene earlier this week in Aberdeen. By now, a thaw has set in and much of what was covered is beginning to reappear. Hopefully it means that things can begin to return to normal after an extended Christmas and New Year period. We hope to be back into the Presbytery office before long, but we are definitely back online.
Setting aside the challenges of getting out and about, getting provisions and keeping warm, there is something beautiful about a blanket of snow. First of all, everything is much quieter. I found that years ago when I lived in Queensferry. The snow had meant that the Forth Bridge was closed, and the town was remarkably quiet as a consequence. We live with so much background noise that it is really noticeable when that is reduced. Second, everything looks fresh, bright and pristine. We can't see the potholes in the road or the dirt on the car or the debris in the garden. It's like a blank page with no blemishes.
It reminds me of a little of the conversation God has in Isaiah 1, where we read:
“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Or the verse in 1 Peter 4:8 which reads:
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
At the beginning of a New Year, it can be natural to think about having a fresh start. We might enjoy the first pages of a new diary or popping a new calendar on the wall, ready to be populated. We might look forward to starting a new sermon series in Church or to something we will begin this year. We might have appreciated the opportunity to give our homes and churches a good clean after taking down the Christmas decorations. We might even have been glad to eat the final mince pie, so that we can start afresh with healthier foods.
There is also the opportunity to have a fresh start with God - as individuals, but also as communities of faith. Where things went wrong in 2025, for whatever reason, we can begin again. And in the coming year, we can choose to love one another deeply, allowing that love to cover over sins that otherwise would cause us to pull apart. We can ask for forgiveness for our sins and trust that God really does remove them from us, as far as the east is from the west. And we can ask for His help in not repeating those sins as we take our first steps into 2026.
There is much to look forward to at the beginning of a year and I for one am excited about the events that we already have planned within Presbytery, including an induction in Orkney next week. I hope that as 2026 gets going, you share that sense of excitement for the coming year and all that will unfold within it.
Rev Stella
