44. Ritual & Tradition: The Gift of a New Year

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:     

In the last episode of the A-HA MOMENT Series (and the last episode of the entire year), Zena reflects back to a time when she was privileged to hear Tony Campolo speak at a Youth Conference. His topic: Rituals and Traditions. 

Tony argued that Rituals and Traditions have had a far greater impact on our lives than we have realized. For example, as a father, he had developed a bedtime ritual with his children. Regardless of what may have transpired throughout the day, this ritual would be observed, and the ritual was a way to make the world right again, of making his kids feel safe and protected, and of giving them hope for a better tomorrow.

Tony went on to say that this was precisely what God had in mind when he created the 24 hour day. He pointed out that scientists really don’t know why we need to sleep. Tony proposed that sleep was God’s gift to mankind, a built in daily ritual to right our worlds, make us feel safe, and keep our hope alive. No matter what horrible things may have happened that day, when we go to bed that night, we can rest.  The act itself is a whisper of hope: “This day is done. Tomorrow is new. Tomorrow will be better.” 

The same principle holds for the 365 days that make up a calendar year. Tony argued that God Himself had created the world to cycle through each season, only to come full circle so that we would have a chance to start again. No matter what has happened in the year before, no matter how much pain or suffering has been experienced, the New Year is God’s gift to mankind, a cleansing of the past, and a built-in whisper of hope: “This Year is done. Tomorrow is a New Year. This Year will be better.”

May the ritual of the New Year bring you peace, safety, and hope, and may we all step into a brighter tomorrow. 

Thank God for a New Year.

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UP NEXT
Thanks for listening to The Storyteller's Mission Podcast in 2020. Please join us again in the New Year as we launch into a new craft-oriented series on how to develop heroic characters.

QUESTIONS OR TOPIC REQUESTS? 

If you have a question about this or any other episode, or if you have a specific topic that you would like Zena to address, click on the link below to leave a voicemail recording with your problem, question, or issue.

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SPECIAL THANKS

The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe would like to thank composer Carla Patullo for the original music she graciously permits us to use in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to  www.carlapatullo.com