“For there's no yes in yesterday

Here's to life” —Shirley Horn

We are in that time of the year when people sum up and sort out the year they have just experienced, making New Year’s resolutions as the answer to everything that happened, good or bad. I’ve seen many people posting on social media about their year, taking stock of their grief, losses, victories, and accomplishments. The pandemic, economic setbacks, political polarization, and family discord or reconciliation figure prominently in the resolutions they are making. I can’t be sure if there has been a measurable increase in this kind of year-end reflection, but I have seen far more of them than I remember.

Nowadays, I rarely do that summing up of my year, and I can’t recall that last time I made a New Year’s resolution. I think one of the reasons I haven’t been more intentional about summing up my year is that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered that what I experienced in the previous year stays with me into the new. I do welcome the natural inflection point of the New Year for starting over and beginning again. Yet, the year I’ve just experienced has made me who I am going into the New Year, and that change in me will continue to unfold in surprising ways. I lived through some of those bad years, brutal and interminable, leaving me desperate for a clean break from any and everything that happened. And yet, all of what happened remains a part of me. How do we keep what worked, learn from what didn’t, and integrate it all constructively for what tomorrow may hold?

A few days ago, a radio news segment featured therapists talking about the dismal record of people keeping their New Year’s resolutions and advising listeners to drop the customary practice of making them. Instead, one of the therapists suggested taking on the approach of articulating your intentions for the upcoming year. The idea behind stating an intention is to make the journey less formal and unforgiving, leaving room for grace, flexibility, and adjustment as life unfolds. Perhaps, carrying forth the lessons learned and the wisdom gained from the year we just had can help us better articulate intentions we are likely to honor. As we sum up, sort out, and say goodbye to 2021, I pray we embrace the New Year, not solely as a reaction against what hurt us or what we hated about the year just ended. Instead, because we are wiser, stronger, and more explicit about our intentions, we welcome the New Year as an opportunity to pursue laughs, love, and life. May it be so. Happy New Year!

The prelude begins prior to the service.

Music from the Jazz Trio

I Christmas Tree

For Everyone Born

The First Noel

The prelude begins prior to the service.

Music from the Adult Choir and Philip Brunelle

 Josef Seger

The congregation is welcome to watch via Livestream on Facebook, YouTube, or Plymouth.org/worship.

Tuesdays at 9 a.m. - online

Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. - online

Dear Beloved Community,

On this cusp of a New Year I believe we are all looking towards 2022 anticipating hope and healing. As we reflect on the difficulties and loss associated with 2021 I pray we also celebrate the joy found in the creative way we were church together. The pandemic is teaching us much about resilience and also about the need to care for and support one another even when we cannot be together. Plymouth has strived mightily to accomplish this, and I give thanks for each one of you and the gifts you bring to our collective endeavor.  

Because of the current COVID situation in Hennepin County and the wider community, and due to the way COVID is affecting our staff, we will be livestreaming worship only on January 2. The sanctuary will not be open to the congregation. Thank you for your understanding and enjoy worship from your home at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. via Facebook or YouTube. Recordings of both services will be posted later on Sunday for your viewing as well. There will be NO Sundays at 5 service this Sunday, January 2.

Due to confirmed information, all present for any of the Christmas Eve services on December 24 were potentially exposed to Covid-19. If you were in attendance at any of our Christmas Eve services, please read the Covid Exposure Notification here.

Friends, this is my last correspondence with you for 2021. As we move through this uncertain time, I am grateful for our church and the grounding a spiritual community provides. One of my favorite prayers is actually a good mantra… I encourage you to pray this with me in the New Year: “I do not know what the future holds, yet I know God holds the future.” Indeed, may it be so.

May we be people of hope, may we be kind and caring, may we remain faithful in community.

Blessings and love to you, dear ones.

Find out everything you need to know about what's going on with our Children, Youth, and Families here:

Meetings are every Saturday from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and include a speaker and small group time. Please visit www.mplsgriefsupport.com for more information, schedule updates, and resources to help you grieve during these uncertain days.

Use the contact form on the homepage to use to inquire about Zoom credentials.

The clergy and staff at Plymouth are continuing to work to care for and support you—our congregation—and, as mentioned above, our essential building tenants. Our need for your support continues. Please consider making a gift online (click here), texting your gift to 612/999-2874 or sending in a check (1900 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis 55403). Mail is being collected securely and safely each day. We are so grateful for you!