Mending Fences – December 29, 2002
Many a cowboy song has been sung about mending fences. Perhaps the beauty of the American West inspired so many dusty poets. Or maybe earning a living under a harsh sun or a winter wind constantly reminded them of how valuable a trusted friend really was. It could get pretty lonely if the only two settlers within a hundred miles of civilization weren’t speaking to each other. So they learned quickly to mend fences, put disagreements behind them, pitch in, and move on.
The New Year’s celebration, the oldest known holiday, is the time to do just that. Nearly every culture has its New Year’s rituals, whether it’s fireworks in China, handing out silver coins in Sri Lanka, or feasting in Mexico. The purpose is the same for nearly everyone today, as it was in ancient Rome, where people handed out tokens engraved with the figure of Janus, whom they worshiped as a god. He had two faces—one looking forward and one back. In this way he was said to remember the past but look forward to the future. And so it is with us. We celebrate the new year as a beginning, a chance to start over, to do better by not repeating the mistakes of yesterday. It is a time to mend fences and friendships.
The story is told of two farmers whose differences had gone on so long that each had forgotten why they were enemies. Finally, one of them went to the other with a fresh loaf of bread and apologized for anything he could not remember. They both laughed about it, a fence was mended, and another country song was born.
This year, let us do as the Apostle Paul admonished: “Put on charity. . . . And let the peace of God rule in [our] hearts.”1 Let us remember that we are celebrating a change of heart, the chance to start over, the opportunity to forgive, forget, and move on. Let us be generous, giving our forgiveness out like silver coins, lighting up the sky with the fireworks of good deeds, and feasting on friendships that mean more to us than any earthly concern.
As we begin a new year, we wish you all happy trails.
Program #3828
1. Colossians 3:14–15.