Good morning: “Doing anything special for New Year’s Eve?” I asked the young nurse at the hospital. “For a long time I didn’t even know New Year’s Eve was a thing,” she told me. She explained that she had grown up spending the week between Christmas and New Year’s with her family at a remote cabin in northern Michigan. While the rest of the world was celebrating, her family didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. What is that makes New Year’s Eve such a “thing”? There is no seismic change to note from December 31 to January 1. The favorite moments of 2023 can’t be carried over into the new year. Present problems don’t magically disappear with the turning of the calendar page. Solomon writes, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). For the world, New Year’s is a time to reflect on what has been and to try peering into the uncertain future, yet without any clear direction, hope, or meaning. For some, the celebration is all about forgetting everything for a few moments before reality sets in again. But for the believer, New Year’s Eve truly is a “thing” to celebrate. Perhaps the past year has been filled with many outward blessings for you. On the other hand, it may have been especially trying because of personal troubles or setbacks. Either way, there is cause for celebration. The eternal, unchanging Lord has been there every day with the peace of forgiveness, along with his protection and guidance in the Word. Looking back, can you see His hand holding you up and directing your path through the good and the difficult? He promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). That promise holds true for 2024. We don’t know what tomorrow holds in store, but we know the Lord does. He assures us, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). We can say with David, “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Ps. 31:14-15). Doing anything special for New Year’s Eve? What’s to celebrate? What better answer than, “I’m going to celebrate that the Lord has given me this time of grace, and praise him for his blessings past, present, and future.” Yours in Christ, Pastor Sunday morning service time is the usual 9 a.m. Sunday school will follow the service. No Sunday Bible class. Our New Year’s Eve service is at 6:30 p.m. The Lord’s Supper will be celebrated.
