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Oh that our lives were as manageable as our computers.  Rather than making resolutions on January 1 we would instead be deleting, undoing, rebooting, and anything else that would assist us in undoing mistakes of the past and getting ourselves back on the right track. As I wrote this message, something invaded my computer and I had to back up all of my data, replace the hard drive, and while I was at it I installed a new operating system. There are some aspects of my life that I would welcome such a renewal in. How about you?

In reality, our lives are much more redeemable than our computers.  Our New Year’s resolution time falls within the season of the Epiphany. The Greek epiphaneia means a manifestation or showing, particularly of a divine being. The Magi were the first non-Jews to encounter Jesus and the first people of any race to comprehend his divine nature. Computers had yet to be invented, but the Magi sought out and paid homage to the child who was God come to earth to redeem faulted mankind; the ultimate “undo” for each of us.

While correcting our computers often takes hours of struggle and trying to figure it out, the redemption of our lives takes only our accepting it.  The challenge is how we accept it and how we prepare ourselves to receive the redemptive love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As Episcopalians we are blessed with our Baptismal Covenant that both defines our relationship with our Savior and outlines for us not acts to earn Christ’s redeeming love but how to manage our lives in order to live in that love.

Rather than making a list of New Year’s resolutions consider reviewing your Baptismal Covenant and reflecting on some adjustments to your life that will put you more in alignment with that covenant.

The Baptismal Covenant enumerates ways in which to live, with God’s help, in thanksgiving for his gracious love:

To continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers…

To persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repenting and returning to the Lord…

To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ…

To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves…

To strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being…

We further confirm each of these commitments by acknowledging our inability to meet them without the assistance of our creator. We respond to each element of the Baptismal Covenant with, “I will, with God’s help.” While computers have a tendency to let us down at all the wrong times, God never does. And, we can get it all right through Christ and the Holy Spirit. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13  That’s a whole lot better guarantee than you will get from Microsoft or Intel. And best yet; it’s an eternal promise, no time limits, no strings attached

Note: A special thanks to Thomas L. Friedman, “New York Times” columnist, for a totally unrelated article that sparked this train of thought.