GATE OF
THE YEAR
January 2003
When the Queen Mother Elizabeth died in March of this past year,
among the memories of the British people was the support she had
given to her husband and to her nation during the darkest days of
the Second World War. In 1939, much of London had been destroyed
by Nazi bombs, and in his Christmas Day broadcast King George VI
tried to reassure the British people. The Queen had remembered the
words of a poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins, an American lecturer
at the London School of Economics. The King concluded his remarks
by saying, "A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring.
If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us
continued struggle we shall remain undaunted. In the meantime I feel
that we may all find a message of encouragement in the lines which,
in my closing words, I would like to say to you all."He then read
from Minnie Haskins' poem, "God Knows:"
"And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, Give
me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown". And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."
The
speech was heard throughout the British Empire and many other parts
of the world. After the King's death, the Queen Mother had the poem
engraved on bronze plaques on the entrance to the King George VI
Memorial Chapel at Windsor, where she, too, was interred. The words
were also used at her funeral.
As we stand in the gate of a new year, darkness has once again come
upon us as we face the threat of war, economic uncertainty, and terrorist
activity in our own nation. We never know what a new year will bring
to our families and friends and the changes that will affect our
relationships with others. Every year brings its mixed bag of blessings,
of crises and opportunities, of challenges and successes, of misfortune
and good fortune. And often we cannot distinguish among them.
There is an old story told among the Taoists of China about a farmer
whose horse ran away and the farmer's neighbor's came over to offer
him their sympathy. "I'm not so sure it's a misfortune," said the
farmer. The neighbors left, shaking their heads.
The next day, the farmer's horse returned, and three wild horses
came home with him. The neighbors returned to congratulate the farmer
on his good fortune. "I'm not certain that it is good fortune," replied
the farmer. The neighbors left, more bemused than before. Later that
week, the farmer's son broke his leg trying to train one of the new
horses, and the neighbors came by to offer condolences. "I'm not
sure this is a misfortune," said the farmer again. The neighbors
left, discussing the man's mental state among themselves. The next
day, the emperor came through, gathering up young men to be in his
army. They bypassed the farmer's son, since he had a broken leg.
Some three thousand years ago the nation of Israel was going through
a time of great moral uncertainty and spiritual darkness. The future
was bleak, depression and despair gripped many. Yet God spoke a message
of hope to his people: "The people walking in darkness have seen
a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned . . . For to us a child is born, to us a Son is
given . . . And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We are living in the light
of Christmas and God's message of hope is still clear: "The rising
sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
(Luke 1:78-79)
We do not know what the new year will bring. We only know that if
we "put our hand into the hand of God, that shall be better than
a light and safer than a known way."
Dr. Harry L. Serio
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