Vicar's Voice, 5 January 2020

Are New Year’s resolutions (NYRs) just wishful thinking that we have had all year long but don’t speak them out loud till 31st December? I think Christians shouldn’t indulge in NYRs. At the centre of our faith is a profound trust in what God has already done for us in sending Christ to die on the cross. This moves us to gratitude and worship. If we comprehend that idea just a little, we appreciate that God has taken care of our sins from the past and will take care of the rest of our lives into eternity. In other words, God has provided for us in the past so there is no reason to believe that he won’t look after our future.

If NYRs are about getting fit or losing weight for example, we know where that ends up. Mostly disappointment. As God’s children though we do have a responsibility to take care of our bodies, to God’s glory. Dare I say that obesity could be mostly a result of lack of self-control which is a fruit of the Spirit? I must confess that I too sometimes indulge in chocolate, ice cream and fries. Currently, I am thinner than 13% of the world’s population. I got a long way to go, though it was only 4% a year ago.

But living the kind of life that glorifies God is not easy. It is more than just NYRs or good intentions to do better next time. It is more than will-power and determination. It is about our lives entirely, our motives, attitudes and behaviours. Certainly, living a godly life requires submission and devotion. To God.

Christmas time is always a good reminder of what God has done in sending his Son. And an opportunity to submit once again to the grace that God offers to us in the death and resurrection of Christ. Even while surrounded by the festive trappings of Christmas it is possible to draw near to the manger and remind ourselves of what God has done. So, the New Year is an appropriate time to restart the new way of living in submission to God’s will for our lives.

This takes devotion. Kind of like holy determination? Sort of, but we need the help of the Holy Spirit through the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in our lives. We can’t do it alone. The fruit are not merely virtues that we put on and put off at will. That’s where devotion to faithfully serve God is important. “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things” (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV). My prayer for the new year is that the fruit will be more evident in my life as I minister to God’s people at All Saints’ and also to the community that we live amongst.

Join me as we begin the New Year and re-dedicate ourselves to live in submission and devotion to God’s will.

In Christ,

Alan Wood