If you’ve been around Trinity for any length of time, you’re probably used to hearing me say, “Happy New Year” in late November or early December on the first Sunday of Advent. The Christian Year – as opposed to the Gregorian calendar year or the school year – starts on the first Sunday in Advent, not on January 1 or on some day near the beginning of September. I like to remind myself and everybody else about the beginning of the Christian Year because it is a reminder that we, as God’s people, are not slaves to the world’s calendar. Time is a gift from God that we are given to use for God’s glory, to accomplish good work, to bless others, and to enjoy God’s beautiful world.
Having more than one “New Year’s Day” is also a reminder that we really start new every day. As the cliché goes, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” We always have the opportunity to start fresh, to launch something new, to change the way things are, and to invite God to change us.
“There is something beautiful (and hard) about starting over. It requires courage and perseverance, but it can also be freeing. Realizing you have to do this every day makes you aware of the distractions. It keeps you sharp. Prevents you from becoming lazy” (Jeff Goins on goinswriter.com). The world around us is constantly changing. These days, it is changing faster than it ever has before. All of life is moving faster than ever before. If we’re going to keep up, if we’re going to have an impact, we have to take advantage of the opportunity to start something that matters. The reminder that today – every day – is a new day can help with that.
A few years ago, I did a mock interview as part of a video training at our local cable access channel. (Yes, I was trying to learn some video skills so that Trinity will look a little better on YouTube.) I was asked the question, “What matters most in this world?” I paraphrased C.S. Lewis and answered, “People. Everything else will fade away. Things do not last forever, but, by the grace of God, people do.” The woman who was being interviewed with me was asked the same question. She looked thoughtfully at the interviewer and said, “I would have to agree with that. People matter.”
When each new day starts, when you get to start over, remember what matters. The fact that you are a child of God matters. The reality that God loves this broken world is significant. The truth that you are a Holy Spirit-filled follower of Jesus has a bearing on how you live. People matter. In the rush to “get things done,” to “follow the rules,” to “make what I have to make,” we can forget what is really important. It happens to all of us. The good news is that tomorrow is a new day, a fresh beginning. Happy New Year.