New Year Same Gospel
Christian hope is the opposite of optimism.
As the last bits of confetti are tossed into trash cans, there is still a level of excitement in the air. With 2023 in the rearview mirror, many look to 2024 as a year of new possibilities. The turning of the calendar invites us to reflect on the past and anticipate the future, with hopes, dreams, and resolutions filling our hearts. Yet, year after year, as we look to the possibilities of a new year, the message of the gospel remains the same – God’s never-changing, never wavering love for people like you and me.
In the ever-shifting landscape of life, the unchanging truth of God's grace provides a firm foundation for our journey into the unknown of a new year. Fleming Rutledge, in The Crucifixion, reminds us that the Gospel is not a mere historical event but an ongoing reality that shapes our present and future. She writes, that the gospel is not only a message about the historical Jesus; it is not only an announcement of the forgiveness of sins. The gospel is a powerful reality now, here, today.
This powerful reality is the unmerited favor of God, showered upon us through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, and the triumph of his resurrection. As we embark on a new year, we carry with us the assurance that God's grace is not subject to the fluctuations of time and circumstance. It remains an unwavering source of hope, peace, and transformation.
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, captures the heart of this unchanging gospel when he writes, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast".[i] Paul emphasizes the radical nature of God's grace – it is a gift, unearned and undeserved. Our excitement for the new year should be anchored in the understanding that our salvation, our journey of faith, is not a self-made endeavor but a divine gift bestowed upon us by a loving God.
Amid resolutions and plans for the future, the unchanging gospel of God's grace reminds us that our identity is not determined by our achievements or failures. Robert Jenson, in his theological reflections, emphasizes the transformative power of grace, stating, that to know ourselves as sinners is not in the first place to know ourselves as potential moral agents. It is to know ourselves as in need of rescue from a plight we are powerless to escape. As we face the uncertainties of the new year, our awareness of being recipients of divine rescue shapes our perspective, fostering humility and gratitude.
The excitement of a new year, when rooted in the unchanging gospel, becomes a celebration of God's faithfulness and a renewed commitment to walk in the path of discipleship. It is not a blind optimism that ignores the challenges ahead but a confident hope that God's grace is sufficient for whatever may come. Rutledge aptly describes this hope, saying, Christian hope is hope in Christ, in the victory of his cross, in his faithfulness to us. Christian hope is the opposite of optimism. Christian hope has nothing to do with optimism. Christian hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Our hope is not in the fleeting promises of the world but in the enduring promise of resurrection – a promise that transcends time and space. As we step into the new year, we do so with the assurance that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same yesterday, today, and forever.[ii]
[i] Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV
[ii] Hebrews 13:8
🙌🏻 what a poignant description of grace
So well said. A wonderful way to start the new year.
Thank you.