Another year has come and gone. 

At the close of each year, my wife and I often spend time reflecting. Resisting, if just for a few moments, the urge to fully plan out our twelve-month calendar for the next year, we choose to take time to remember: Remembering when and where we saw our prayers answered. Reflecting on how our lives have changed and how our family has matured and grown– some might say “aged”– over the past year. To notice how our relationships and maybe our viewpoints have altered over time. And to recall what we’ve learned and how we are different because of the journey we’ve taken together over the last twelve months.

It’s also important to remember our failures and heartaches. The things that didn’t go according to plan. The things that remain undone. And to reflect– not “so that we can do better next year”– but so that we can hopefully see how Jesus was walking with us in the lowest and hardest of moments. Because it is through this searching and longing for Christ that we are evermore drawn into His arms. 

As Christians, we need to remember every season. In the Old Testament, leaders built altars to remember God’s providence, provision, and covenant.  And each time we gather on Sunday, it is not only a time to meet with God in the present and pray for His work in the future, but a time to remember. To recapture God’s work in our lives. To remind ourselves of His grace, love, and saving work in our lives– the change in our lives that walking with Jesus has caused over time. We remember Christ’s sacrifice for us each time we take Communion. We remember the Spirit’s work within our lives each time we shout a song of praise. In baptism, we not only lift a shout of victory for those who are being baptized but also as a way to remember and celebrate God’s transformative work in our own lives.  

And just like any year, if we are always focused on what’s next, we could fail to fully enjoy and celebrate how much has truly changed and what God has done in and through us. My greatest joy this past year has been seeing God work in and through our staff and worship volunteers. It has been a blessing to see them take challenging steps of faith and trust as they seek to grow as disciples, and to see God shepherding them along the way.

I am very excited about entering 2024. I hope you are, too. But before making those New Year’s resolutions and setting up a calendar with all the new goals, take some time to remember. As you do, I pray that you will have a deepened appreciation for how God has walked and is walking with you each day. 

And then, when it comes to goals for the new year, may we see even more the way Christ does, may our hearts beat like His, and may our hands and feet be attentive to His prompting. 

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18