Perhaps you have heard this phrase before. It is quite popular around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. A sort of promise made to oneself at the beginning of a new year to be better or at least different in one or more aspects. However, as we all have experienced at one time or another, new year’s resolutions sometimes don’t take or last very long. Why am I talking about this at the beginning of December? Good question. For the church, Advent marks the beginning of a new church year as we move into the festival half of our worship together. But as you can see, no ball drops to mark this change. No resolutions are made. In fact, few people realize that there is structure to the church year all its own aside from the secular calendar that we all follow.
For the church, the change in our seasons, the change in our worship marks something very different from the new year of the rest of world. It isn’t focused on us. Our year is entirely structured around the life of Christ. Take the season of Advent and Christmas and begin to think about their significance. We celebrate that Christ has come to be with His people becoming incarnate to save us from our sins. While at the same time we look to the second coming of Christ in which we He will establish His kingdom for all eternity, righting every wrong and wiping away every tear from our eyes. Every year we begin with this hope remember what God as already done for us and looking to what He will do in the future. Advent takes this hope and grounds us in it. Christmas celebrates the fullness of the incarnation and speaks to us about what that means for all believers. So even before the world celebrates a “new year” we are already grounding ourselves in something far greater than personal improvement.
So dear Christian, this new year, this advent season I ask you meditate on the great way in which Christ made you His own. Reflect on the cosmic events that took place in order for the gift of our salvation to take place. Reflect on that hope given to us.
Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor Tommy