As the clock ticked to Midnight millions shouted “Happy New
Year!” The New Year begins with a lot of hope. We hope the New Year will be
different than the year which is now past. We hope the travails,
disappointments, illnesses, calamities, debts, wars, killings, and everything
else which was negative in the year past will stay in the in the year past.
Brothers and sisters, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13) To set the
context, the writer is speaking of perfection in Christ. I think it is an apt
text for us as we move into the New Year. Note the two active verbs forgetting
and straining.
If we truly
want 2015 to be different than 2014 we need to forget what is behind. 2015 will
be no different if we carry the hurts, offenses, disappointments and all which
drug down our spirits into the New Year. 2015 will be no different than the
year past if we insist of doing the same things in the same ways.
2015 is a new
opportunity for us. This is where the second verb in the verse above comes into
play. If we want 2015 to be different we have to put serious effort to making
it so. We must strain forward. Straining forward carries the picture of
exertion of great effort and energy to make progress. As the New Year opens the
image is not that of coasting along with the wind to our back. It is difficult
to set a new course for our life or our congregation.
We make resolutions
indicating things we want to change or do differently. We resolve to lose
weight, to be more careful in our spending, to grow in our faith, to exercise
regularly. Sadly, most of our well intentioned resolutions are like the dew
which passes under the strength of the sun. Keeping our resolutions requires commitment,
effort and determination. We often have to strain forward if we are to stick to
our resolutions. Just making the resolution does nothing unless persistent action
flows from the resolution.
It is not
uncommon for church boards to have a retreat shortly after the New Year for the
purpose of assimilating new members and for setting goals. Too often the goals
are so generally stated, like many of our resolutions, it is impossible to
measure any progress. If we resolve to lose weight we either think we have to
lose a “ton,” to succeed. The other option is if a pound is lost to claim
victory. We may resolve that our congregation will experience numeric growth.
If we gain one member is that sufficient to declare the goal achieved? Or is it
thought that the numeric size of the congregation must double? Ideally, the
goal will be enough that we have to strain to reach it, but not so grandiose
that we give up early knowing it will be impossible to accomplish.
Great piece, Wayne! Thanks for posting this for us on the first day of 2015!
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful. Thanks for publishing it.
ReplyDelete