"The Year as a House" - A Reflection from Rev. Dr. Christy Newton

“The Year as a House” by Jan Richardson

Think of the year / as a house:

door flung wide / in welcome,

threshold swept / and waiting,

a graced spaciousness / opening and offering itself

to you.

Let it be blessed / in every room.

Let it be hallowed / in every corner.

Let every nook / be a refuge

and every object / set to holy use.

Let it be here / that safety will rest.

Let it be here / that health will make its home.

Let it be here / that peace will show its face.

Let it be here / that love will find its way.

Here

let the weary come / let the aching come

let the lost come / let the sorrowing come.

Here

let them find their rest / and let them find their soothing

and let them find their place / and let them find their delight.

And may it be / in this house of a year

that the seasons will spin in beauty,

and may it be / in these turning days

that time will spiral with joy.

And may it be / that its rooms will fill

with ordinary grace

and light spill from every window

to welcome the stranger home.

Yes, I love the image of the new year as a house — welcoming, gracious, grounding, joyful, open to possibility.

And yet, I started this new year with a leak in my roof and a stream of water flowing into my living room. Our ceiling had to be gutted and mold removed — plaster everywhere, a big mess…

And my leaking roof is also a bit like the year 2026 started for me, too. Chaotic. Broken. Coming apart. Full of bewilderment, uncertainty, grief. We are currently witnessing our freedoms being questioned and the blessings of our diversity being attacked. The violence and pain that surround us can make us feel isolated. But that pain can also draw us toward one another. The antidote to the chaos and brokenness currently being sown into the world is deeper relationship. And throughout this year and beyond, DSF is focusing on nurturing our connections, widening our table, and increasing our welcome. We believe grace and hope will enter even our most intense struggles. So, we enter this year with renewed courage and prophetic imagination. We are ready to support emerging and established theological leaders in the tides of whatever challenges this year brings.

And we will repair and prepare our house so that it shines with graciousness, joy, and possibility! We will work together with you to do things that heal when the world seems to split, wound, and fragment. For example, this month we are launching our new Certificate Program, “Pastoral Leadership for a Divided World.” Learners can start the Certificate at the beginning of any month of the year. The classes are perfect for CEUs, pastoral discernment, and deeper theological grounding. And at the end of this month, the Spring semester starts at our partner seminaries. Each of these partners is doing important and courageous work. You will hear from the Presidents of these schools in our newsletters

in the next few weeks. These relationships are antidotes to the isolation and brokenness that would limit our mission. And your partnership with DSF is also an antidote. It powers the work we do to nurture and sustain pastors, chaplains, theological leaders, justice workers, counselors, teachers, and many others whose work connects faith and daily life.

May this year bring you the blessings you need.

Christy