Goodbye 2020

If you are like me there is something extra satisfying about saying goodbye to 2020. It seems logical to think that next year must be better than this year. Although we just had holiday season, which is usually a bit more fun and exciting, I still felt a sliver of sadness at times. Due to the pandemic, we are unable to celebrate with those we love in the way we used to. We haven’t been able to see our coworkers, friends, or family much. Thanksgiving felt lonely as we quarantined due to possible exposure. For our family Christmas felt different. There is something special about gathering with Christian community to rejoice as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and that was missed this Christmas.

As I was going through old sermon notes, I was reminded that I heard many teachings in January 2020 that this year would be a year to help us have clearer vision. Many pastors and bloggers were excited and proclaiming that the year 2020 would straighten our vision. They took this to play on the concept of 2020 vision as measuring your sight. Halfway through this year with so much confusion, unknowns, noise from media regarding so many things, I wondered if their hope for clearer vision could possibly come true. I am certain that none of them knew what was coming, but God knew.

Today, as I reflect on this year in context of our recent celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, I am humbled to see that in fact 2020 has made clear to many that we really do need that Savior. Sometimes our holiday traditions and activities keep us busy and bring about warm feelings of love and family, but this year, that sliver of sadness reminded me of the effects of sin in this world. This year has seemed to bring about more sickness, death, quarreling, mistrust, conflict, hatred and fear than other years past, and the increase of this and the direction of culture is debatable but what is not debatable is that we all see it now. We all have been faced with the truth of our humanity and our utter lack of control over many things. It is clear that we are not in control of nature, our bodies, other people, and in fact, many people are not even in control of themselves and how they react to others (though they should be).

I think we all see that there is something going on, something bigger than us that we cannot control. It feels at times as if we are all pawns in this game of life. For believers, it is clear that we are in a spiritual battle and we have a desperate need for a savior. This spiritual battle we cannot see fully but we can feel it. We can see the effects if we look for it. Instead of looking at others and being mad that they are making moves in directions we do not like, this spiritual battle requires we fight back in prayer. Because this spiritual battle is already won in the spiritual realm, through Jesus' death on the cross, we just have to decide to live that out and not allow what comes against us to get the best of us, our mood, our thoughts and the way we love and react to others.

I hope that you were able over the Christmas season to take time to reflect on the birth of Jesus, our hope of glory. I hope that in that reflection you not only had warm holiday feelings but I hope it helped you to have a “2020 vision” of our depravity and your need for Jesus as your Lord and Savior and your need to fight back on this spiritual battle.

I pray that this new year allows you time to slow down and spend time with Jesus. I pray that it will help you to humble yourself as we are face to face with sin's consequences every day on the news. I pray that you will have joy and thankfulness for the most important blessing in the history of humanity, the birth of Jesus our Savior.

Friend, I also want to encourage you to take the time now, as the year turns over and consider what lessons did you learn in 2020? What vision has been clearer to you this year? What lessons has the Holy Spirit started in your life as a result of this year’s chaos? Take time to remember that Jesus came into this world as a baby because the world is sinful and chaotic and needed saving from sin's effects. Remember that God has always had a plan and still does, from the creation of the world, the protection of His people in the old testament, the birth of Jesus and even today.

As you celebrate the New Year, spend time looking back on what God was doing or trying to do in your spiritual life through the chaos of 2020. He was calling you to find peace in Him, to hold on to hope and to be more like Jesus. Were you a light in this dark world? Did you embrace that call or did you get caught up in the chaos? Either way, let 2021 be our year to live out the lessons we learned from 2020.

Cheers.