A National Holiday of Grace
I usually think of New Year’s with a certain amount of indifference. What is the big deal anyway? Isn’t it just an artificial time to pretend to be happy, and get in some time drinking and waiting for the magic moment when we start anew?
But wait… how can I be cynical about any chance to celebrate a new beginning? Isn’t that what we all need most of all?
Last week I got a note from a person whom at one time, I considered a good friend. Our friendship ended over a disagreement about some issue in the church, and we haven’t contacted each other since then. Suddenly, an email arrived expressing regret, asking for forgiveness and the chance of reconnecting as friends. Perhaps this was startling to me because it seldom happens.
Why should I be surprised when Grace enters our lives? Jesus said, “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” And he added, “I make all things new again.” How easy it is for me to settle into the same old ruts and life with low expectations. While all time the Lord wants to do something new in me and sometimes even through me.
So maybe I need to rethink New Years. We need a national holiday devoted to the celebration and recognition that God is doing a new thing! “Like a shoot out of the dry ground.” This is what grace can be for our lives. A surprise burst of new life, hope and joy where and when it is least expected.
So I wrote back to my friend and said, “Of Course! Let’s begin a new friendship.”
After all it is New Years isn’t it?
