It had almost reached the time to go to print and we realised that we had not had a locally written Rectory letter. It has been a very hard few weeks for Rev. Camilla and those others who occasionally get to write a letter for this slot so we took the decision not to bother any of them in case they were taking a well-earned rest or were still busy on other tasks elsewhere, visiting grandchildren spread across the country, for example. This letter is from Parish Pump, the magazine content service that we subscribe to and which every month enables us to fill our pages with something more than local news.
Canon Paul Hardingham considers 2022.
Looking to the New Year
The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, who is depicted as having two faces. As we look back on a difficult year dominated by the pandemic, how should we look forward to 2022 with fresh hope? The apostle Paul writes: ‘But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:13,14).
Firstly, to make a new start, you need to forget the things which are behind. Paul saw himself as an athlete running for Christ and purposely not looking back. He refused to allow his past sins and difficulties to define who he was. By God’s grace, he no longer saw himself that way. The same can be true of ourselves, as we confess our sins and failures to receive God’s forgiveness and new life.
Secondly, we need to focus on the things that lie ahead. The athlete is entirely focused on winning the race and gaining the prize. Like Paul, we have to be single-minded in making Jesus the focus of everything we do. How can we go deeper in our prayer life and Bible reading this year? What will it mean to better serve Christ in our workplace and neighbourhood, or family and children?
Paul looked forward to the day when he would stand before God, who would say ‘well done, good and faithful servant’. In light of all that Jesus had done for him, Paul wanted to give his very best to Jesus. As we stand at the beginning of this New Year, let’s ask ourselves, ‘What can I do this year that will help me bring glory and honour to God?’