December 31, 2020

Happy New Year’s Eve! 2020 has definitely been a memorable year but, if I’m being honest, it’s time to forget it in the past! Here’s to 2021 being a year filled with reunions, in person worship, and a release from the captivity of pandemic!

For our first worship service of the new year, we will celebrate the Epiphany – the story of the Wise Men arriving in Bethlehem to offer their gifts to the newborn king and pay him homage. Pastor Pat will preach on the traditional scripture passage for this sacred day of the church and encourage all of us to fall on our knees in humble servitude to Christ Jesus.

If you haven’t put it away already, light your Advent wreath in preparation for worship, gather communion elements (more info below), and find a comfortable place to worship using this bulletin. It is the tradition of the Church to celebrate communion on the first Sunday of the year and though this at home bulletin cannot provide for the blessing of elements, it will guide you in a symbolic ritual of remembrance using the Words of Institution from the Great Thanksgiving liturgy for Epiphany.

This service also features the offering. To participate, you are invited to either mail in or drop off your tithe to the church if you so desire. If you’d like to have one more thing taken off your list of “things to remember”, considering setting the church up through your bank’s bill pay service. At no cost to you, your bank will mail your tithe check as frequently as you request and for whatever amount you desire. You only need our address which can be found below. If you need help figuring out how to do this, please contact me – I’m happy to help! A few additional announcements:

· This service, with some variations, will be available on YouTube by Saturday Jan. 2nd if you’d like to view it. Simply go to www.youtube.com, search for “Cheney UMC” and select the January 3rd video.

· If you have a prayer request for the pastors, please email/call/text using my contact info below.

· I’ve included both a Lectio Divina exercise from Stan and a New Year’s Resolution worksheet from Ronda Cordill. May these resources help you grow closer to God and closer to your true self!

With a spirit of humble gratitude for the gift of the newborn King,

Rev. Alissa Bertsch, Lead Pastor

204 4th St. Cheney, WA 99004

c: 509-879-2278 alissabertsch@gmail.com

Cheney United Methodist Church

January 3rd, 2021 – Epiphany of the Lord Sunday – Incarnation Series

Call to Worship (if worshiping with others, choose someone to be the leader while others read the bold print)

O come, let us worship the Lord

and consider what wondrous things God has done:

The Magi who seek the Christ-child follow a guiding star!

O come, let us worship the Lord

and consider what wondrous things God has done:

The peoples who live in the shadows see a glorious light!

O come, let us worship the Lord

and consider what wondrous things God has done:

The Christ who embodies the Word unveils the hidden plan,

bearing the promise of salvation through the Good News!

O come, let us worship the Lord,

lifting our eyes to the star and raising a song of praise

for God has indeed done wondrous things!

Opening Hymn “There’s a Song in the Air” - UMH #249

Opening Prayer

God of all time, we praise and adore you for breaking into the darkness of this world with the glorious light of your presence.  A light which made your love for the world visible in the babe born in Bethlehem - Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior.  A light which guided those gift-bearing travelers from afar to find and worship the Christ-child.  A light which leads us to you, the Holy One we seek, now revealed in Jesus Christ.  We pray that you will accept our worship for it arises from hearts and minds in awe over the enormity of your gift to us of pure love. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)

 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

The Word Interpreted “The Light that Shines Through the Darkness” Pastor Pat

Let me ask you: how many of you made New Year’s resolutions this year and actually expect to accomplish them? We’re going to lose weight, get on top of our finances, make our relationships better in three easy steps and finish that project we started in 1974 and have just never gotten back to? All worthy goals, I’m sure, and I wish you the very best of luck.

Myself, after the year we’ve had; I’m only making resolutions that I can keep! So far, I don’t have any. But just so you know, I am praying that all of us have a healthy, prosperous and FUN 2021! Good luck and may God bless your very best efforts on your goals and resolutions for this year. I’ll certainly pray for your success.

Today is Epiphany Sunday, which means we’re wrapping up Advent and rushing head-long into a brand-new year, a fresh start, a new beginning, a second or fifth chance to do great things. But are we really finished with Christmas? I mean, what do we do with Christmas when it’s over? Other than taking down and storing the decorations and figuring out how to get the mountain of trash into the mole hill sized garbage cans?

Of course, we know that Christmas should remain with us all year long, but I wonder, and maybe you do as well, what are the signs that, indeed, Christmas actually DOES last more than one day? Maybe that depends on what we got for Christmas? So, what did you get for Christmas this year?

I hope we all had a great Christmas, given the circumstances, and of course, Christmas isn’t really about material gifts, but just for fun, I want you to take a moment and think about your favorite Christmas gift EVER. Let me ask you: Have you or the world been changed by that gift? Now, wouldn’t THAT be something! We’ll follow up on that shortly, but first, let’s spend a moment in prayer together…

Friends, like you, I’ve received a number of awesome Christmas gifts in my life, some big, some small; some expensive and some didn’t cost much at all. And I’ve enjoyed every one of them; but did they change my life in significant ways, let alone change the world – I don’t think so.

When I asked if a particular Christmas gift changed the world, most of us probably thought “of course not!” But, friends, I think we’d be wrong – at least I hope so! Christmas is about our being reminded that God is WITH us now – and, if you really believe that, well, a changed world is expected.

But, when it comes to changing the whole world, it really depends on what we mean by “whole world,” doesn’t it? When we first hear of something that changes the world, we think that means that we’re all on the same page. Typically, world-changers are something that affects everyone, at the same time. Like electricity or computers and who among us can doubt that the entire world has been changed due to the invention of these things.

But the truth is, I don’t think that’s the way most humans really think, is it? We tend to individually filter what matters most. When we say whole world what we usually mean is our personal world. Our PW is made up of what we want; and, so, WE are the ultimate decision makers. See, in essence, we draw a big circle around ourselves and say: “in this circle, I’m the boss.” In our personal world, nothing changes unless we want it to change.

Our main text for today from Matthew’s Gospel is an example of this. It’s about Herod the Great who was a so-called “Roman Client-King” of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth – and you can bet the birth of Christ DID change Herod’s world! King Herod is one of the most well-known characters in the Bible. We have reams of information about this guy. So, just in case you’ve heard the part of the Christmas story about Herod killing children and thought it sounded like a bit of a drama added to spice up a slow story, let me assure you; that’s just not the case!

King Herod was a bad man. And, worse, he was an unstable man whose personal world was shaken to its foundations by the Magi, who knocked at his palace door one fine day and asked if he knew where they could find the new king of the Jews?” Uh, WHAT new King of the Jews?

When the Romans first occupied that region, they wouldn’t take a chance on giving a local priest power, because of the likelihood of revolution, so they gave the “King of the Jews Franchise” to the Herod family. Herod’s only qualifications for office were that his daddy had money and favor with Rome, and he was a coward who would do exactly as Rome dictated. So, Herod was a very insecure man, aware that he didn’t deserve to be King and that the Jews hated him no matter how many temples he built for them. He also knew that according to Jewish tradition, anyone in the direct line of David could be acclaimed as the long-awaited Messiah. So, when he heard the news about this birth, his “personal world” changed dramatically.

But, for all of Christian history there have been people like Herod, who greet the news of Jesus’ birth with derision and hostility. We read about anti-Christian violence in places around the world even today and we nod our heads. We know there are people who hate us and despise what we believe – and sometimes for some good reasons. Jesus predicted such things, didn’t he?

And, speaking of all the unbelieving or uncaring people in the world; let me ask you: does it ever feel to you that the world is made up of “insiders” and “outsiders?” When it comes to issues of faith, do we relate one way to one group and another way to those who are not “us?” Does Christmas unite or divide us? Well, maybe it does neither. Maybe the real Christmas gift is permission to do something different - to tear down the walls that divide us.

So, the Christmas gift I’m not talking about today isn’t clothes or toys or books or tools or a new car. 2,000 years ago, God did a new thing. He decided that, even after all His guidance and all His love and nurture, we still were majoring in missing the point, so He came down to us and said, “Look at what I DO and believe. Listen to what I say and see if it’s not the truth. Look at the example I offer on how to love your neighbor and follow it – and the world will be changed.” But change is hard isn’t it?

I remember reading an on-line article by Rev. Mike Spencer, a Presbyterian Pastor from London, Ky. Apparently, a friend told him about a seminary class on Islam where the professor required each member of the class to invite a Muslim family over for dinner sometime during the course of the semester. Apparently, this didn’t go over very well. No one in the class wanted to do it. See, these seminary students were prepared to preach against Islam, or to teach about Islam or debate Muslims over their faith choice but, they’d be darned if they would invite them to dinner.

But, apparently, each student did it – a threatened “F” for the class may have had something to do with that. But, later, when they debriefed the experience, what they found was that it had been a powerful experience that they enjoyed very much. These seminary students discovered that the power of hospitality was evidence that Jesus Christ CAN change worlds, including worlds of prejudice and hostility. So, how do you suppose this change comes about?

I invite you to listen to scripture from the first chapter of the Gospel of John: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness doesn’t comprehend it. He was in the world, and the world did not know him. He came unto his own, and his own didn’t receive him.” What did you hear when I read that?

I heard the writer of the Gospel of John telling me that the coming of Jesus Christ into the world on that starry night 2,000 years ago didn’t really mean very much to very many people – even those who claimed to be waiting for Him. The number of people who saw or even heard about the birth of Jesus Christ, in the moment, would have been astronomically SMALL – maybe in the dozens – not counting angels of course! John was writing about what it was like to believe something that even the most faithful didn’t believe, and, in fact, didn’t even know happened. And, friends, is this much different than what we see today? God came to earth and though the whole world changed – most people’s private world didn’t – or hasn’t.

So, then, the writer of John points us to John the Baptist (1:7). He says: “He came as a witness, to testify concerning that light, so that through him all people might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” Friends, this is a sign of change.

When we hear the word “witness” let’s understand it as a simple word that basically means your walk should reflect your talk. Being a witness to the light means, first, that you are a person who has seen that light and have been changed by it – and you act like it. Luke’s gospel says that the angels told the shepherds that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. Though they didn’t understand the mystery involved – who would - they knew that the world was now, somehow, no longer the same. God wasn’t just way up there any longer – He was here, with us - so scripture says that they set about sharing what they had seen and heard. They became witnesses. But that was then, and this is now.

To be a witness in the post-Christian world is to leave unmistakable signs that, at the very least your world has been changed by the coming of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean harassing people with a sales pitch or reducing Jesus to a t-shirt or a bumper sticker. What it means is that the person who sits in the office next to yours, the teacher in your child’s classroom, the lady next door, the neighbor who keeps borrowing your tools and never brings them back; they can’t look at you without knowing that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Have our lives been so changed through our relationship with Him that our lives are a witness to His influence in us?

See, John KNEW that, he, John, was not the light, and that’s important for us to remember as well because the world tells us we ARE the light – the only light there is. But, we know better. The message we have to share today is not about how great we are; it’s not about our swell church or anything else that makes US the point of the Good News. We need to remember that what we should be pointing to with our changed lives is Jesus – we are His witnesses.

Friends, we have to admit that, in these difficult times, it’s tempting to just turn away from the world and, to coin a phrase, let them stew in their own juices. I mean, even those who take our resources when we offer them, often ridicule, persecute and bully us so why shouldn’t we just stay together and keep to ourselves? It would be a heck of a lot easier, wouldn’t it?

And, that IS one option, but that’s not change, it’s a stubborn determination to protect ourselves, to keep doing our own thing, like we’ve always done. So, what if, instead of turning our back on those “who are not like us”, we do something new: we put flesh, hands, feet, gifts, creativity and life to the Word? Which, by the way, is what John meant – Jesus became the living example of God’s plan for the way the world works - and He means for us to do the same thing. So, is that what we’re doing?

The sign that we received the real Christmas gift after all – the one that really can change the world - is the courage to make change happen. So, how did and does God change the world? One person at a time.

Friends, I stand before you today because of the many people who had the courage to change and became that “Word” that John speaks of. They came out of their comfort zone to reach out to someone who was completely different than they were - a lost, angry, unbelieving, drug-addicted person like me. They were the same people I laughed at before. The people who believed what I couldn’t, who loved like I wouldn’t, who freely gave me what I didn’t have, and they couldn’t really spare – but somehow, they did it anyway. When I accepted God’s gift of his Son, I changed from what I was, to working towards what I never thought I wanted to be – someone like Jesus and someone like those who really follow Him – like you. God and His followers still inspire me.

I asked if you received a Christmas gift that changed the world and I hope if you haven’t in years past, you got it this year – the understanding that God is real and is no longer apart from us – but right here, in us and among us. Now, if we really believe that; what things will we do today and tomorrow and in this New Year that will change the world? Because, friends, we can!

I have a habit of collecting illustrations and tidbits of stories that I might be able to use at some point. When I started sermon prep for this message, I buzzed through a list cleverly titled “New Year’s Stuff.” It was a CNN online New Year’s headline in 2011 and it said this: “In the New Year, shoot for the impossible.”

It seems to me that a powerful message came through that headline. That determined people who chase the ‘impossible’ can prove doubters wrong. After what we’ve been through this year, from a world-wide pandemic to dramatic social, cultural and economic shifts, it’s time to chase the impossible and BE part of a positive change in the world. Now, I think that’s a New Year’s resolution that I can get behind!

I believe we can do it! And I hope you believe it too. AMEN.

Hymn of Response “We Three Kings” - UMH #254

Invitation to Offering and Doxology

Though we don’t envision being able to gather together until further into the new year, we continue to be called to support the ministries of the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Please take a moment to consider what you have to offer to God this week through the traditional offering and make a commitment to follow through with that offering. You may mail your offering to the church or drop it in our mailbox: 204 4th St. Cheney, WA 99004. If you so wish, you may recite or sing the Doxology then pray the prayer of dedication:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!

Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Prayer of Dedication

Gracious and holy God, we ask that you accept the gifts we offer today. The gifts of our

financial resources, our time, our faltering steps, our brokenness, our leftovers, our hope,

our fears and our lives. Please Bless, and multiply these gifts for those that need them most

and we ask that new life in this New Year may be ours, to celebrate and to share in our

church, our community and the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Invitation to The Service of Communion

It is our tradition to celebrate communion on the first Sunday of the month and as was mentioned in the cover letter, if you’d like to participate in a remembrance of The Great Thanksgiving, you’ll need a few items:

1. A plate and a cup as well as bread (or crackers or something approximating bread) and grape juice (or wine or water). Don’t stress about having the exact type of elements traditionally used; Jesus is our focus, not the elements involved. He offers equal portions of grace through sliced bread and apple juice as through fresh baked bread and grape juice so no need for a special trip to the store!

2. Add a candle of any kind to your plate and cup. If you haven’t already, light the candle, representing the light that Christ brings to us and to the whole world.

3. As you read through the liturgy, there will be some parts in bold – if you are worshiping with others, you may take turns reading the unbolded parts then join together on the bold.

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.


We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.


It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth. You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away, and our loved failed, your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity, make covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through the prophets and sent us your Son, to be born among us.

And so, we have come asking for the child –

Wondering where that love might be born,

Seeking that joy that might satisfy our thirst,

Wandering through the darkness of so many mistakes.

We have come to this place where

wise-people and shepherds and young parents met.

We have come to this place called Bethlehem –

to this place where our hearts rise like yeast;

to this place where we meet our newborn hope;

to this place where we taste our deepest joy.

In Bethlehem, where we assumed the worst,

imagining that no good can come, we somehow missed its name.

Bethlehem: Lehem meaning bread. Bethel meaning house.

There is something here that will satisfy our hunger.

No matter how long we have wandered, here our hearts arise.

Our light has come. In this bread and in this cup,

We celebrate something we can’t quite understand.

Because God has made a house at this table.

Because God satisfies our hunger in the most unlikely places.

Because God comes to be with us. Now and always.

As your Word became flesh, born on that night long ago, so, on the night in which he gave himself up for us,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."

On that same night, gathered around a table such as this, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

(You are now invited to partake of the bread and cup – if you are with others,

take turns serving each other then close with the prayer below.)

Prayer After Communion

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Benediction

Friends, I invite you to receive the benediction of Epiphany Sunday: Let us go, now, as a light to the nations. Honor the Lord; preach what you know of the risen Christ, and then, do what you preach.And may God strengthen you and bless you with His peace. May Christ Jesus, who is our Savior, bring forth justice for you and among us all. And may the Holy Spirit alight on you, lead you ever forward and affirm you as God’s beloved ones. Go in peace to know love and share it. Serve the Lord, and each other. May God’s new day and the New Year just upon us bring us health, peace, joy and an abundance of Hope. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Lectio Divina Practice from Stan Ker

This week’s lectio divina reading will be from Galatians 5:3-18. Let us open with prayer for this time with God: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who is always drawing us back to you. We pray that today your life-giving Spirit would part the clouds of uncertainty and doubt that are stopping us from seeing you clearly, and that you would increase our faith so that we might encounter you today face to face and be utterly changed by your beauty and majesty. Amen. (Source: Scottish Bible Society)

As you prepare for this time of lectio divina with God, I invite you to be in a quiet and comfortable place. As you read the scripture for a total of three times, pay close attention to a word, phrase, image or feeling that speaks to you in the first reading. Slowly repeat that word or phrase or visualize that image or feeling to yourself a couple of times. This is a time of prayer and conversation between you and God so take your time. After each reading, use the silence that follows to reflect on what has been lifted up to you and consider it as a spiritual gift from God that he wants you to use. Asking God how to use this spiritual gif tis part of today’s prayer. If nothing speaks to you or you are uncertain of what you’re receiving, pray boldly and without hesitation to God with unbelievable faith. God will answer you. Trust that God understands you. If your mind wanders, slowly bring it back to listening to the scripture as you receive the gift of scripture from God.

Galatians 5:13-18: The Passion Translation

13 Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit. But don’t view this wonderful freedom as an opportunity to set up a base of operations in the natural realm. Freedom means that we become so completely free of self-indulgence that we become servants of one another, expressing love in all we do.

14 For love completes the laws of God. All of the law can be summarized in one grand statement:

“Demonstrate love to your neighbor, even as you care for and love yourself.”

15 But if you continue to criticize and come against each other over minor issues, you’re acting like wild beasts trying to destroy one another!

16 As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self - life.

17 For your self - life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your old self - life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self - life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.

18 But when you are brought into the full freedom of the Spirit of grace, you will no longer be living under the domination of the law, but soaring above it! (pause for your first time of reflection)

As you listen for a second time, allow the word or phrase or feeling or image that caught your attention to stir your thoughts or feelings to a deeper level of reflection. In your mind’s eye, consider what you see when you see that word or phrase surrounded by a bright, white light. Go slowly, allow God time to say all he wants to say to you today. (when you are ready, read the scripture again)

Now talk honestly with God about whatever you’re feeling…listen for his invitations to you. How are you being called to respond to God’s word? What do you need from God right now? (when you are ready, read the scripture again)

Rest now in the presence of God who knows you better than you know yourself. Your thoughts and feelings right now, during this time of silence and conversation with God, has been his gift to you. For a few moments, simply be. Allow the silence and message from God to rest in you. When you are ready, close with this prayer: How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv’n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav’n. No ear may hear His coming but in this world of sin where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in. Amen.

(Source: Philip Brooks, 1868)

Make Self-Care Your New Year’s Resolution by Ronda Cordill

As we move from 2020 to 2021 making New Year’s Resolutions is more important than ever to maintain good physical, emotional and spiritual health. How about making ‘talking care of yourself’ your New Year’s Resolution this year? Self-care is about intentionally taking care of ourselves, especially in stressful situations, and it includes paying attention to our whole body as well as our mind and spirit.

Do 1 Thing!

Self-care can be very simple. Choose one suggestion from the list below and do it each day for one week. The next week choose another thing and do each day that week. You can continue to do the activity from the first week but focus on the second week’s activity each day. Continue to choose an activity each week for 4 to 6 weeks. After that time, choose your favorite activities and continue to do them as part of your daily routine. These simple activities and should not take much time but you will find it will be time well spent.

Do one activity below each day for ONE week then repeat with a new activity!

□ Identify something or someone you are grateful for and write it down. Look back at the end of the week and pay attention to the feelings you experience.

□ Check in or connect with someone each day. Think about who you have not talked to in a while or check on your neighbors.

□ Move your body every day and get your heart rate up – go for a walk, do yoga, or shovel snow!

□ Go outside. Get your coat, hat, and gloves on and walk to the end of your driveway or mailbox or even a bit further around the block. Enjoy the fresh air and the ever-changing nature of winter.

□ Read something inspirational, spiritual, or fun. Need ideas? Ask a friend or your pastor for recommendations.

□ Do something because you want to like a leisure activity you enjoy.

□ Have some fun! Play a game, watch a funny movie, or plan an adventure with a friend!

□ Laugh at least once a day. A Facebook friend from church posts 1-2 jokes on his timeline for all of us to have a good laugh.

□ Do something that is uplifting or creative.

□ Be mindful to a sound or song, a sensory feeling, something to see (outside your window), a spiritual practice or try a Mindfulness Practice:

· Sit very still and notice one thing that you can see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.

· Close your eyes and spend one-minute thinking about the happiest day or your life. Try to remember as much about that day as you can.

· Close your eyes and think about how you are feeling. Happy? Sad? Mad? Scared? Excited? Something else? Think about how you know you are feeling this way.

· Sit quietly and place a small object in your hand. A pencil, small rock, or something else. Notice how heavy the object is. Think about what it feels like in your hand. Notice one new thing about this object.

□ Take Mindfulness to the next level and try mediation or yoga.

□ Relax with a cup of herbal tea (non-caffeinated)

I wrote these for myself based on what I know about myself. What other things can you think to add to the list, or might you do different this new year? To your Good Health! - Ronda Cordill, Member of Cheney UMC and The Greater Northwest Abundant Health Ministry

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