I’m sure you have discarded the 2007 calendar and have replaced it on the wall with a new 2008 version. You have no doubt begun to mark important dates and events on a new 2008 schedule. There are things that go with the closing out of the old year and lifting the lid off the new one. These things are all part of turning the page and beginning a new chapter of our lives. And every year, these cycles of remembering and anticipating, reviewing the old and preparing for the new--they create a rhythm in our lives. The church calendar is also meant to establish some important rhythms for life. The church year began with the season of Advent and now moves into Epiphany (literally, “appearance”). The season of Epiphany celebrates the revealing of Jesus as the Christ to Gentiles, beautifully shown in the story of the Magi (Matthew 2). From Epiphany we will move into the Lenten season that guides us to Good Friday and Easter. After Easter we look toward Pentecost. These are ways that God helps us to keep the great story of Jesus Christ as a vital part of our story. May we continue to find the significance of our lives in that story. May we always see how our story is intersecting with his story.