As I write these words, the sun is bright, the air is cold, and the Baby New Year, 2016, is only a few hours old. There is a good reason we call the New Year a "Baby." Just as with the birth of a new child, there is a sense of wonder and excitement at the possibilities and the hopes for this new life. So also, a new year brings us the excitement and hope that comes with fresh starts and new possibilities.
For me, the most striking feature of the New Year is light. The past three weeks have been the darkest of the year. With only four minutes of variation, we have seen the sun only a little more than 9 hours a day. But once you have made it to New Years Day, you start seeing the daylight increasing by leaps and bounds. Tomorrow, we gain another minute; and in a week, we will have gained seven more! Last fall, while the days were growing shorter by leaps and bounds, the sense of darkness was oppressive. But now we get to experience the opposite effect.
When you stop to think about it, this is really a remarkable thing. Planets like Mercury, Venus and Jupiter have very little tilt in relation to the sun. This means that their days are about the same length year in and year out. But the earth is tilted 23 degrees on its axis. As a result, we get to experience predictable seasonal changes every year. This is not simply "nature" that we are experiencing, it is God's special creation that makes each day from here on out increasingly light and cheery.
In other words, just as last fall, God was intentionally giving us less light and teaching us endurance and patience. So also now, God is intentionally giving us ever more light in our days and teaching us that the darkness never lasts forever but will always be dispelled by the light. In fact, it is no mere accident that this reversal of trends -- from increasing darkness, to increasing light -- happens right around Christmas. By God's own plan, the seasonal rhythms that He put into nature serve to illustrate the Spiritual reality that Jesus is born to be the Light of the world. As the prophet had foretold, "the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light! And those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a Light has dawned. ...For unto us a Child is born. To us a Son is given." (Isaiah 9:2,6a)
It is with the coming of Jesus that we see another reason for hope and joy. We are told in Matthew 1:21 that He is to be called "Jesus" because He will save His people from their sins. "Jesus" means Savior, specifically "the LORD saves!" Sins and shortcomings are a huge reason for sadness and sorrow. They have an accumulative effect. With each shortcoming, you get farther and farther behind. With each sin, your relationships are more and more strained. No matter what you do, you cannot get back on top of things and life seems to be spiraling out of control. If only there were a "RESET" button. If only you could wipe out the sins of the past and start fresh. If only you could get rid of the baggage that haunts your past and fills you with dread of the future. Short of this, there is no optimism for the future. You can only expect the sins and shortcomings of the past to continue to poison your future.
"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130). Because of Jesus, your dream for a RESET button is not just wishful thinking. God has actually repaired the past -- your past. The price was great, but it has been paid! Because of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, God Himself can indeed give you a fresh start through the forgiveness of Jesus! This is the greatest reason for optimism. In Christ, you are no longer weighed down by your past. You need no longer be doomed to the past patterns of self-destruction. In Christ, God breaks the bonds of addiction to sin. In Christ, God Himself lifts you out of the ruts. In Christ, you have a fresh start, like a newborn babe.
This brings us back again to the Baby New Year, 2016. It's a picture of what God can do for you in Christ. Fresh as a baby, innocent, pure, unscarred, with nothing to prevent it's full development into the person that God created it to be. The New Year is a time for hope because Jesus is in the world. All that is gloomy, dark, old, and sinful, is made new in Him.
Joy to the world! The Lord has come!