Today is the first day of a new year. For me, I have experienced seventy-six such days, not that I remember all of them.
There are many ways to approach a new year. There can be enthusiasm and excitement that a new year full of promise and opportunity lies before us. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
On the other hand, we may look at the new year with skepticism, having been disappointed in past years. As we get older, we may think that we have seen it all before; the new year will be no different from past years. Like the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, we think, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. … What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl 1:1,9)
And yet, through the darkness, through the confusion, through the fear, God speaks words of hope and encouragement. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)
God’s love and mercy never come to an end. They are new, not just every year, but every morning. While we often fail and waver in our walk with Christ, God’s love is steadfast, never changing, never growing old, never running out. He is always faithful. He calls us to walk each day in the newness of life which Christ purchased for us on the cross.
I look forward to the new year with confidence, not confidence in myself, but confidence in Christ. With the psalmist, I say, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps 73:26)
Have a happy and blessed new year, and may you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Pastor Haney
