New Creation for the New Year

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
2nd Corinthians 5:17

The Almighty God has graciously led us through another year in our lives. Let us be thankful for God’s goodness and providence throughout the year 2024, and let us also look forward to the amazing things God has in store for us in 2025.

For the past few months, we have all been in a celebratory mood. And as we enter into the New Year, our celebrations continue, but may they continue with a sense of self-examination and personal reflection. Humankind has commemorated the arrival of the New Year in various ways throughout history and across different cultures. However, we must take note that most civilizations celebrated the New Year with the intention to look ahead toward new growth in the
upcoming year.

In the United States, as well as in many other countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday. January 1st became generally recognized as the beginning of the year in the 1500’s with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. In the USA, this holiday is traditionally considered to be a time to take stock of one’s life and to make resolutions for the coming year.

The best way for us to celebrate each New Year’s Day is to resolve to live more like the new creations that the apostle Paul says we are. Once we accept the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, we enter into the New Covenant, and God begins a new work of creation in us. He gives us a new heart, a new identity, and a new song. We are called to have new attitudes and a new lifestyle. As we grow, God brings new opportunities for service and teaches us new truths.

Keeping this in mind, we should take upon this very challenge in the New Year. Let us commit ourselves to becoming the “new creations” that God desires us to be. This will require us to experience spiritual renewal not only in our individual lives but also and in our families and in our life as a church family. As a parish, let us take up this initiative by dedicating ourselves to experience spiritual renewal through earnest prayer, spiritual devotion, and active participation in the ministries of the church. Let us be wholeheartedly devoted to living as “new creations” for the glory of God and the blessings of others. May the LORD enable us all to experience spiritual renewal in the New Year.

Wishing you all health, happiness, and harmony in 2025!

With love and prayers,
Rev. Christopher Phil Daniel
Vicar, Jerusalem Mar Thoma Church, CT