I (we) will begin again

I admit that this is a bit "on the nose," but today always reminds me of "New Year's Day," which is my favorite song from U2's third album, War. (Not that the rest of the album isn't excellent!) Now a quarter century old, "New Year's Day," written during the Cold War, speaks well to our time, during this so-called "war on terror"--a war that, by definition, can never end.

You can hear the conflict in Bono's voice as on the one hand, he cries, "Nothing changes on New Year's Day," but then confidently proclaims, "I will begin again." I love what sets the stage for this: "Under a blood-red sky / A crowd has gathered in black and white / Arms entwined, the chosen few / Newspapers say...it's true, it's true / And we can break through / Though torn in two, we can be one."

We're torn in so many ways, but we are one. And we will begin again, not because we simply decide to do so, but because, as our friend Jürgen Moltmann puts it, "We are living in Advent and are preparing the way for the Coming One."