Newspaper Article - Because We Lost Power

Below is a recording and the text of an article that Pastor Rudiger wrote for The Clarion News.

On New Year’s Day, a little before 8 in the morning, we experienced a power loss in Sligo, something that became total about an hour later. And over the next six hours, we got three notices estimating the time when it would be back on, each two hours after the last one. Around 3:30, it was restored, and life was again good. Of course, this was a little inconvenient, especially since I was looking forward to watching the Peach Bowl at 1:00. But in the vast spectrum of things, this was a speed bump, at worst. And yet, I’ve got to admit that, as I was staring at a blank screen, my first thought was far broader than missing one game. I remember thinking, “This is a great way to kick off a new year. If this is the way it starts, what will the next twelve months be like?” 

Of course, I recognize that’s just silly. One power outage isn’t prophetic. Still, that thought made its way through my gray matter. And frankly, feeling some trepidation as we enter 2025, well, I don’t think that’s all that unusual. I mean, on one hand, it’s not hard to be a little bit discouraged, I mean, 2024 was a challenging year at best, with wars in Ukraine and Gaza and an all-consuming, all-encompassing political campaign with its constant message that we should be afraid of something. And all this we’re dragging into the new year. 

And maybe, because of that, on the other hand, I find it really easy to be a little scared as we enter 2025. My gosh, as a brand new college graduate, will my daughter be able to afford health insurance or will a case of appendicitis permanently distort her future? Will consumer prices drop while the national debt increases? And maybe most important of all, by the end of the year, will the Steelers have a quarterback that they can count on for the future or will they still be trending water? You see, as we enter this new year, I think it’s really not surprising that a lot of folks are feeling both a little discouraged and a little scared as they peer into the next 365 days. I know I am.

But you know, it’s when those feelings begin to rear their ugly heads that I think we might need to pause and remember something that we might have overlooked. In other words, when we’re feeling discouraged as we look back and scared as we look forward, I believe it’s important for us to take seriously these words that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. [2 Corinthians 5:17-18, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote.

And I’ll tell you, if we accept this as true and apply it to our lives, I think we’ll be able to do two things that we might have had a hard time doing before. For example, first, I think we’ll be able to enter the new year with freedom, confident that we don’t have to carry forward all those thoughts and opinions and attitudes that can do nothing but hold us back. You see, thanks to Jesus Christ, the chain has been broken and we can leave the anchor behind. And as we begin to move ahead, second, I believe we’ll be able to enter the new year with hope. Of course, we’re going to face challenges both in our personal lives and within our communities. And only a fool would step off the curb with his eyes tightly shut. Still, because everything really is new and because God has really done it all and because Christ has really made peace between himself and us, I think we can pull it together. And we can look past all the obstacles and distractions that can prevent us from taking that step. And we can actively and intentionally do what we’ve been called and equipped to do, namely to love one another as we’ve been loved. You see, this can be our perspective as we step forward.

Now, I think we can expect other speed bumps in the next twelve months. And there will be times when we’ll feel a little bit discouraged as we look back and a little bit scared as we look forward. That’s just life in the fast lane. But rather than giving in to those feelings and allowing them to determine who we are and what we do, we can decide to pause. And we can choose to listen to what the Apostle Paul had to say to the Corinthians. And then, we can enter this new year with both freedom and hope. And I’ll tell you, we can do it whether WestPenn has restored power or not.