New Year, Same God

Finding True Hope for 2023

January comes with mixed feelings for a lot of people. On the one hand, there is hope and excitement as we make plans, set goals, and move into a new year. On the other hand, however, there may be feelings of discouragement because life is still hard. The new year doesn’t erase the difficult circumstances we may be facing or make us more likely to stick with new habits.

As we sort through these tensions, the messaging we hear around this time of year often seems like it is setting us up to fail. For example, these are all actual headlines from emails I received in my inbox over the first few days of January.

New Year, New You!

Your New Year’s Resolution Blueprint

Ready for a Refresh!

Jumpstart Your Health

Get Back in the Game

No Bad Days in This Cute New Shirt!

And don’t they make it sound so easy? Just make the right resolution, follow the right plan, join the right gym, or buy the right shirt (come on now, really?) and all your problems will be solved.

You can do it! You’re unstoppable!

The Fatal Flaw in New Year’s Resolutions

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, New Year’s resolutions are meant to be reminders that we can change for the better, and there are all kinds of gurus with a plan for how to do it. We’re told we can create a “new you” by:

Setting SMART goals
Practicing new habits
Tracking our food
Starting a journal
Following the right Bible reading plan
Getting an accountability partner

And while all of these things can be useful tools to help us read through the Bible in a year, get more done, focus on our health, or any number of other goals, the bottom line is that they all share a fatal flaw: they are focused on external behavior, not internal transformation. None of these tools can change who we are on the inside.

When we open up that fresh new planner to the first page in January, we might be starting a new year, but we’re still the same person. The person that is broken and flawed. The person that faces hard things. The person that struggles with a particular besetting sin, has health problems, or faces struggles with our kids.

Like the runner who bursts off the starting line too fast and then loses momentum and falls behind halfway through the race, too many of us start January with grandiose ideas about who we’re going to be in the New Year (and it’s certainly not that tired, worn out person we were in December). Before too long, though, we find ourselves falling back into the same old habits and facing the same old struggles.

Finding Hope in the New Year

Psalm 62: 5-7 says:

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

Where does hope in the new year come from? Not from new planners, new goals, or new programs. Hope comes from resting on our unchanging God.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting goals or starting new habits. These are good and healthy things to do as we seek to be good stewards of the time, resources, and bodies God has given us.

But we must be careful about the subtle message underneath it all: “If you just try hard enough, you can change yourself.” That message simply isn’t true.

And that’s where the good news comes in.

You might be the same person this year as you were last year, but you also have the same good God who is doing a good work in you and will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). This work isn’t about externals like being more productive, going to the gym, or getting organized. It’s about conforming you to the image of Jesus day by day, through every circumstance you encounter (Romans 8:29).

In a recent message, Pastor Andrew pointed us to John 1 where we learned more about who our Jesus is. Let’s recap those attributes quickly:

Jesus is the Communicator (John 1:1).
Jesus is the Eternal One (John 1:2).
Jesus is the One True God (John 1:1).
Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3).
Jesus is the Revealer of Grace (John 1:17).
Jesus is Life itself (John 1:4)!
Jesus is the Light (John 1:5-9).
Jesus is Human (John 1:14).

Through the pages of Scripture, we can find many more descriptions of Jesus to add to this list. (You can find a more in-depth discussion of the names of Jesus here):

The Bread of Life (John 6:35)
The Light of the World (John 8:12)
The Door (John 10:7-9)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
The Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)
The Lamb of God (John 1:29)
The True Vine (John 15:1)
The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:14-15)
The Son of Man (Matthew 18:11 and others)

Of course, this list only scratches the surface in exploring the names of God and descriptions of Jesus in Scripture. This year, we encourage you to take note of how God describes himself throughout the Bible and how Jesus is described in the New Testament. If you are following a yearly Bible reading plan, consider underlining each name of God you encounter. If you are doing another kind of study, ask yourself how God’s name and character are displayed in the book or topic you are studying.

Why study the names of God? Because knowing how God describes Himself in Scripture leads us to a deeper understanding of His nature and how He interacts with us as His people. And that’s the foundation for true, lasting hope.

As we seek to become more Christlike in 2023, let’s center our thoughts on who our God is and how his unchanging character gives us hope!

Looking for new opportunities to get more involved at Calvary this year?

This year, we are praying that as a church family, we will work together to diligently preserve the unity of the Spirit in our assembly (Ephesians 4:3). Here a few ways to do that:

Look for Connection Opportunities – In a church as large as ours, it is easy to feel disconnected, especially if you aren’t involved in a class or small group. We understand, and we shared some ways we’re aiming to address this in a recent blog post. At the end of that post, you’ll also find a list of classes, groups, and other opportunities to connect in smaller settings.
Find a New Way to Serve – We are so thankful for the many people who meet needs in our children’s programs, music ministry, outreach ministries, and other opportunities to serve our church family and visitors. If you haven’t found a place to serve yet, this is a wonderful way to use your gifts to edify others and get to know people in a new way. Here is a brief list of ministries and names to contact for more information (you can find contact info for each on our staff page):
- Calvary Kids & Nursery – Carissa Wells
- Students & Good News Club – Robert Horn
- Connections (greeting, ushers, coffee, etc.) – Jerry Barron
- Care – Robert Graziano
- Classes/Groups/Studies, Tech, & Music – Matt Wells
Pray for One Another – One of the best ways to build relationships with others is to pray for them. As requests are shared in Sunday classes, community groups, and Sunday services, make a list and commit to praying for them throughout the week.

May 2023 be the year that we rest in God’s unchanging character, find new hope in His Word, and preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!