New Year
The Romans named the first month of the year January after Janus whom they portrayed with two faces, one looking back and the other forward. That is what we tend to do at this time of the year and the media always make the most of it, featuring highlights from the news, sports events etc from throughout the year.
But, as we look back over our lives in 2007 we may not be too proud of some of the things we remember. Indeed, there may be some things from much further back that still haunt us. Carrying a sense of guilt or shame is not an uncommon problem and it can be very wearing. What we need is a new beginning more effective than merely changing the number of the year. After all January 1st is likely to be very similar to December 31st and we all know what happens to new year resolutions!
But the new beginning offered in the Gospel is very different, so different in fact that Jesus likened it to being born again, and you can’t experience a newer beginning than that. The Bible pulls no punches. “All have sinned” it says and “If we say we have no sin we lie and the truth is not in us”. So, whether we suffer any guilty secrets or not, it is clear we still need a new beginning if we are to know real peace with God. He has already dealt with the problem when Jesus died for our sin and rose again to new life and He invites us to share that new life with Him.
We don’t know what 2008 holds for us and it’s probably just as well or we might worry ourselves sick wondering how we will cope. But if we go forward with the assurance that He is going through the year with us, come what may, and will never leave us, at the end of the year we will be able to echo the worrds of that lovely old hymn “All the way my Saviour leads me. What have I to ask beside?” and be thankful.
So, “Welcome 2008! Our Saviour is Lord of you, too!”
