A Contemplative New Year

Monday, January 5, 2026

Happy Monday and Happy New Year, my friends! When I was in college my friend, Lara (now the Rev. Lara Case Halsey) and I decided that we were going to found a retreat center. It would probably be out in the woods somewhere so we could offer an environment for peaceful reflection as well as respite from the world. Ever the pragmatist, Lara was already thinking of the business plan while idealist me was dreaming of founding a monastery and what the worship space would look like.

Needless to say, those plans have yet to come to fruition and, as you know, I struggle with contemplation. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate contemplative practice, it’s just that the only times I can really slow down tend to be when I’m asleep. Though rest is both a restorative practice and an act of resistance, I still struggle with the more active and conscious act of contemplation. During the late summer and fall I had the opportunity to take a class on Howard Thurman. I was prepared for the Thurman of Jesus and the Disinherited (social justice forward and activism centered), but what I learned was that Thurman was deeply contemplative and examined the connection between the inner life of reflection and the outer life of the work for justice. He held that out of balance, one could not sustain their commitment to justice. At the same time, Blue Ocean Faith Columbus began exploring Living Buddha, Living Christ by the Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hahn during our bi-weekly book studies. Having not read this book in over ten years, I had forgotten how much space Nhat Hahn devotes in a short text to justice work as an obvious product of contemplation.

I loathe new year resolutions, but I’m setting aside that emotion this year because I want 2026 to be the year I give contemplation and contemplative action a greater chance. With all the hate and division in the world and how so much of it seems to be arriving at the doorstep of anyone committed to equity and affirmation, we need to make sure our inner life, whatever you call it, is balanced with the work we’re doing and the dreams we have for the world.

What place does contemplation have in your life? What intentions are you bringing into the new year?

Let us pray: God, some of us struggle to slow down and engage in building up our inner lives because we see so much suffering outside and beyond ourselves. We feel called to be “out there” rather than “inside” ourselves. We’ve been taught that caring for ourselves is a weakness, a luxury that ignores our marginalized siblings. Help us find comfort and power in our inner lives which propels us to act in the world. May 2026 be our year of contemplative action. We ask this in the name of Jesus who spent time alone so that he might better serve others. Amen.

Blessings on your weeks and your years, my friends. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben +