Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It’s that time again, the New Year is here. And so we find ourselves looking in two directions at the same time. We look back on the year just past. I’ve noticed lots of news shows in the past week having “Year in Review” segments, focusing on the hottest stories of the year, or the famous people who died last year, or the champions in major sports. And we look ahead to 2023, wondering what it might hold. Some of us have made New Year’s resolutions, hoping to do something better this year than we did last year, or setting a goal for our health and fitness.
I look back at 2022 and I have to say that I am not sorry to see it go. It seems like there have been so many troubles, trials, and tribulations. We saw the war in Ukraine, with Russian attacks on civilians and pleas for additional aid by President Zelensky. There was continued political divisiveness in our country, and much unkind messaging ahead of the midterm elections. COVID is still a problem, and this winter we are seeing the triple-demic of COVID, flu, and RSV creating hospitals crowded with patients again. There have been natural disasters causing people to be displaced, with loss of homes and businesses due to fires and floods and storms. My own health has taken a hit, with a new diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.
And yet – and yet, there were also those moments that are worth cherishing. Birthdays spent with family and friends. Anniversaries. Being able to worship in person almost all year. Working at a job that I love with people who make it even more enjoyable. Seeing good things happen in the churches – the start of a food pantry in Grantham, the new relationship with the Newport church, and all of the work we’ve done in Sunapee to welcome community events into our building and establish new relationships with town leaders. My trip to California to visit my dad, brother, and sister-in-law, and getting to see three of my nieces and their children. My work with Creating a Culture of Renewal, including faculty training in Wyoming last summer. Coming home, I stayed one night in Denver with another niece, her husband, and two girls. And spending a belated Christmas with Pennie’s sister and her family in New Bedford. So I have to say that 2022 was not all bad.
But here we are at the start of a new year. We face it with fear and trembling, with anticipation and hope. We wonder what it will bring, what will come our way. There is no predicting, really. But whatever it is, we know that it will be a mixed bag, just like every year.
I always think of this passage from Ecclesiastes when the New Year comes around. It tells us that there is a time for everything, a time for every kind of experience: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to harvest; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
There are some of those things that I look forward to with eager anticipation. I am glad for times of harvesting what was planted – there is nothing better than fresh corn or a tomato ripe from the vine. And who doesn’t enjoy times for laughing and dancing? We all want to experience embraces and love and peace. Life will bring us good things in the New Year. We know that. We believe that. We count on that.
On the other hand, there are other things that I sincerely hope not to experience this year: the death of a loved one and the weeping and mourning that it brings; times of violence, of killing and war. And yet, chances are that we will continue to see killing and war and violence in the world, and in our country, and even in our communities.
The truth is, we don’t get to choose which kind of experiences we will have in any given year. We do make choices that affect what we will experience, but there are also those things over which we have absolutely no control. So how do we face the New Year without wanting to just run and hide under the bed until all the bad stuff is over? How can we look ahead with confidence and hope and faith?
For me, looking forward with confidence and faith is possible because I can look back and see how my faith was well-founded. I can see how God was with me in the past, helping me to get through the tough times and celebrating with me when all was right with my world. The God who was my help in the past is the same God who will walk with me into the future. I can trust God, even if I don’t dare trust in my circumstances or my ability to take care of myself or anyone else. This year will bring me great joy, I am sure, but it may also bring me times of grief or pain or struggle. No matter what is out there, God is already prepared to help me handle it.
I choose to look ahead with hope, rather than fear. I look to the future with confidence, not with dread. And my prayer for you this New Year is that you will find the faith to do the same.
