Blue Monday

Back in 1922 Goerge Gershwin wrote an opera (only 20 minutes long) in which the main character sings a song about how everything goes wrong. The song is the “Blue Monday Blues”. But in 2005 a PR company (or a scientist, supposedly) pointed out that the 3rd Monday of January was the saddest day of the year. The PR firm made this announcement for a travel company which was trying to sell vacations to the sun - so for them it may have become the best day of the year. 

In Dutch, “een blauwe maandag” (a blue Monday) means ‘a short period of time’ or an unexpected moment. So something can just show up suddenly, or show up unexpectedly in your life. Or perhaps something good might happen, but only for a short time. 

I can imagine people dropping into a sort of depression on the 3rd Monday of January. Family events are all passed, but the consequences of feasting and good fun remain. New Years resolutions have had enough time to have all been broken, leaving us frustrated with ourselves. The weather is freezing (or rainy as it is here), grey and wet. And the year stretches out before you. 

Or… the year is still to come! Look at all the new opportunities that God is presenting us with. And look at who we get to walk with every day. How we look at things determines a lot of how we feel about things. This year the congregation in Maastricht is focusing on Jesus saying “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We will be unpacking that through our studies and conversations with each other. 

On Wednesday evenings we meet partially online and partially in person for a Bible study. We have started in the Psalms - to examine the truth - and this week we look at an evening song and a morning prayer. In both of them the message is: we are with the Lord who is mighty and righteous, so we can sleep and be at peace when we wake each new day. 

Our year looks a bit uncertain. We are making plans for our trip to the US in May and June, trying to make sure we get as many people and congregations worked in as possible. This month the churches here get together to plan and look forward to the various Bible Camp weeks and how we can best serve our youth and members using this wonderful tool. And as a congregation, Maastricht is looking at how we can further encourage one another and reach out with the gospel. 

This is exciting! It’s not depressing, no matter the weather. It is not temporary, flitting away like the birds that inhabit our bushes. It is not a time when everything bad is happening at once - and even if it is, we walk with the Almighty God at our side, so we can handle it (because He can handle it). 

We are excited about a new study with our English-speakers, of chances to gather to regularly pray, of planning new activities to share with each other and those around us. How has God already blessed you this year? What are you looking forward to? Wherever you go, go with the Lord. 

Here is a song based partially on Psalm 5 and co-written by Shirley.