Whew, what a year 2020 turned out to be! I'll spare you the typical "good riddance" stuff. As your pastor, I have a burden that you look at 2020 and 2021 through the lens of faith in Jesus Christ, not natural/worldly wisdom. What does that look like?
a. Thankfulness. Instead of "good riddance," Christians believe in the providence of God. As the Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 27 tells us, "fruitful and lean years,... health and sickness... all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by His Fatherly hand." God disrupted, stretched, taught, and grew each of us this past year. Reflect on how, and thank Him for it. Many are seeing this as their worst year ever, which tells you how spoiled we are in our time and country. Thank God in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
b. Hope. Where is yours? In a vaccine? In Donald Trump?
If you find your spirits dashed and your soul discouraged after the last few days of news, you may need a hope adjustment.
"O Israel, hope in the LORD!" - Psalm 130:7.
Be careful of the world's subtle cues to hope in other things. Keeping our fingers crossed for 2021 is just hoping in chance. A call to fight for fair elections can be hoping in politics.
Let's recalibrate where we place our hopes. News of the world has its ups and downs, but God's purposes and plan are constant and firm. "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). God is sovereign, not a virus or a political party/candidate. In the end He will see His will done on earth, as it is in heaven.
c. "New normal"
There will be a few new normals coming at us that are abnormal, biblically speaking. Treating people as health threats. Identity/radical left politics and cancel culture driving policy. Rethinking and minimizing in-person encounters in shopping and worshiping. We will need to be willing to buck some major cultural trends and groupthink, to continue living faithfully when challenged by society to go their way.
d. Read the Bible
Find or develop a plan for exposing yourself and your family to the whole Word of God over time. Ligonier has lots of options here.
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/bible-reading-plans/
The Lord's blessings be upon you in 2021!
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