Once again we’ve put the old in the rearview mirror and crossed the city limits into the new.

Welcome 2009.

Through the years I’ve found few times to be more special than that crossing over midnight moment. Folks welcome the birth of a year in many ways, including millions watching the ball fall from the sky in the busy city. But I think I may have found a nicer way.

Thirty of our friends from the church that meets in Arlington, Texas gathered at the new home of preacher Joe Norton and his wife JoAnn on Wednesday evening. We spent a good bit of the night eating and talking, a few playing games.

At about 11:30 we convened in their big new living room, pulled out the old hymnals, and sang the tired - but blessed – 2008 year out.

Ah, it was quite a time of praise.

We were reminded that this world is not my home, I’m just a’passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue …

… And that there is a God, He is alive. In him we live, and we survive. From dust our God created man. He is our God, the great I am! …

We spoke in a harmonious voice to the great I AM directly in these familiar words:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great thou art, how great thy art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great Thou art, how great thou art!

I know the walls of Dr. Joe’s new house had never heard such singing or melody or power!

Then as the hour neared 12, Brother Joe said a few words. You may think it strange that I say “few,” but Joe - unlike almost all the preachers you and I know - is a man of few words, a talent drawn from his four decades of journalism teaching.

He concluded with a familiar reading of Psalm 100. Then we joined our voices again and sang the great old song that reminds us of the Rock that has kept and sustained us through all these years and will do the same in the year that is now upon us.

Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee …

Ah, what a sweet sound! I trust we’ll all hide ourselves in that Rock in ‘09. (Where else could we hide than there?)

With the tones of that great anthem still rising upward where voices are more perfect, the 30 here bowed together, paused, and one among us led the first prayer of ‘09 while the others wiped tears from their eyes.

It’s the best way to welcome 2009 that I know.

Readers may contact Steven Bowen by email at Steven.bowen@redoakisd.org