Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
— Isaiah 43:18-19
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
—2 Corinthians 5:17
As the final days of the year slip away and we prepare to welcome a new year, we stand at a crossroads of endings and beginnings. The old year, with its triumphs and struggles, is behind us. The new year, full of hope and uncertainty, stretches before us like a blank canvas. This year, for many of us, the coming year and the four to follow are probably fraught with more uncertainty than hope with the inauguration of the new administration in three weeks. However, we will not dwell on that today. Instead, I want to look at the transformation from endings to beginnings. This transition offers us a sacred opportunity to reflect, release, and renew. It is a chance to let go of what no longer serves us and embrace the new things God is doing in our lives. Let us consider how God works through endings and beginnings, transforming both into opportunities for growth, grace, and hope.
The closing of a year naturally invites reflection. We look back at the milestones, the unexpected turns, and the lessons learned. Reflection is a holy act—it allows us to recognize God’s faithfulness in the joys and in the challenges. But God also calls us to release the past. In Isaiah 43:18, God says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” This doesn’t mean ignoring what has happened, but rather choosing not to let past mistakes, failures, or even successes define us. What do you need to leave behind as the old as 2024 comes to a close? Perhaps it’s a lingering hurt, an old habit, or a missed opportunity. Just as God’s mercies are new every morning, He offers us the freedom to begin again.
Forgiving others and ourselves is key to moving forward. Just as Christ forgave us, we are called to release the burden of grudges and regrets. In doing so, we open our hearts to the newness God has in store. Over and over again, God calls us to forgive others. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Forgiveness is not optional in the Christian life. It reflects the forgiveness we have received from God. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Just as God forgives us freely, we are called to extend that same grace to others. When Jesus was challenged by the chief priests in Mark 11:25, He says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Forgiveness clears the way for reconciliation with God and others.
The new year is a reminder that God is always at work, creating and renewing. In Isaiah 43:19, God declares, “See, I am doing a new thing!” God is a God of new beginnings, offering us fresh starts not just once a year but every single day. What “new thing” is God calling you to? Perhaps it’s a new season in your relationships, a deeper commitment to your faith, or a step into the unknown. God makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland—He specializes in creating possibilities where none seemed to exist. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul reminds us that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” This means our past doesn’t define us. Our mistakes don’t have the final say. God’s grace transforms us from the inside out, enabling us to live with purpose and joy.
The transition between the old and the new is not always smooth. There may be uncertainty, hesitation, or fear. But as people of faith, we trust that God is with us in the in-between spaces. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aways childish things.” The new year is like a blank page, and we often worry about what will be written on it. But as believers, we can face the future with hope. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
As we step into this new beginning, here are some ways we can align our hearts with God’s plans. Dedicate the year to God. Ask for His guidance, wisdom, strength, and forgiveness. Instead of just making resolutions, focus on deepening your faith. Commit to prayer, Scripture, and acts of service. The new year may not bring immediate change, but trust that God’s work is unfolding in His perfect time. Allow God to shape you, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. Growth often comes from challenges. As we say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, let us remember that God is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. He has been with us through the past year and will walk with us into the next.
Joe
The Closet Professor 
December 29th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
My spiritual director recommended a tool for reviewing the year and for looking ahead. You are supposed to look at your calendar for every week…I spent months dealing with my health…or worrying about my health. Last night and again today a number of friends have expressed their hope that I have a healthier 2025. When folks ask how my Christmas was, I smile and say it came in November—when I got the biopsy results…
But I’ve also realized that I need to adjust my attitude to my late father. It is so easy for me to remember his anger and contempt for me, along with his obsessions around money. Work always came first for him. When he wasn’t working he was reviewing his stock portfolio so he could earn more. But now that the family trust has been distributed I realize I’m extremely fortunate financially. That was really evident to me in March when I was enjoying weeks of luxury in Europe with no thought of a budget. I can remember urging my mom to divorce him so we could escape his mental cruelty. But she felt the golden handcuffs from him and wouldn’t. Anyway, as I was leaving Louisville last week, I went by the cemetery to make a tribute to my father. I didn’t have any words but emotionally I’m shutting down that chapter. I don’t need to dwell on pain from the past. I need to move on and lavish love on my sons and grandchildren. And isn’t that a better thing to do?
On this first Sunday after Christmas, allow me to say “God bless you merry Gentle-MAN…”. I trust you have returned safely from Alabama and Isabella is content.
December 29th, 2024 at 2:17 pm
I got home safely around 1 am last night. It was a long day with numerous delays due to weather, but at least I had a hot and very sweet gay flight attendant on my first flight.
Isabella was happy I was home, but it took me feeding her wet food twice before she let me have much sleep. She won’t eat wet food if anyone else gives it to her, only me, so she hadn’t had it in a week. She gobbled it all up both times.
By the way, if you ever want to take a personally historian on your next luxury trip to Europe who can talk about the influences of the Grand Tour on art and architecture in Europe and the United States, I am available for a very reasonable fee—basically travel expenses, lodging, and food. 😂 (I’m teaching a class on the subject this semester. I’ve always thought being a personal tour guide for someone would be my dream job.)
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and will have a happy and healthy 2025 and for many more years. ❤️
December 29th, 2024 at 8:42 pm
Joe, I will certainly take that under advisement. I went with a tour company named “Aria Tours” as tours for opera lovers are their forte. I honestly think it was the first travel experience where everything that was promised was exceeded. But seeing a RING cycle in Germany has been a wish of mine for over 50 years. I could have saved $1,500 on the single room supplement—wink…of course there would be a second tour to pay for..
For my high school graduation present, I asked for a mini-grand tour of Europe, along with a second hand car. My mom and my sister also went, so two years later my sister for her graduation she did get the better car plus she had the tour. It was three very busy weeks—Paris, Amsterdam, Bonn, Heidelberg, Oberammergau, then Salzburg down to Venice, Florence and Rome. We hit a few spots in Switzerland and Copenhagen and finally London. That was in 1970 and the dollar was very strong them which made Europe a real bargain. For some reason my mother wanted to go see the Passion Play and I was so bored! I was so impressed by the male fashions in Italy but I was/am much too tall to find anything. I was determined to return and I actually changed where I was going to college so that I could do a semester abroad—those were very new. So in 1972 I was in England from August to almost Christmas. That was a glorious experience, absolutely wonderful. In the summer of 1971 I worked at a very posh camp for boys who weren’t wanted over the summer and we had a tennis coach from England. James and I hit it off so of course I got to spend time with him and his family in 1972. Gay sex was legalized in England in 1969 and James and I seriously talked about getting a flat together…but the Viet Nam war meant that was impossible because of my draft status. I also went to Vienna for a week during that semester…after our break our group moved to Stratford for several weeks so we could see the season of the RSC. Judi Dench and Helen Mirren had recently joined the RSC so I had drinks with them a few times…of course no idea they would both go on to be internationally known performers. I went to the pub because I had a massive crush on the son of the innkeeper!
This memory has a happy ending too. My youngest son, who now lives in Wimbledon, has told me a number of times that when he was growing up and listening to my stories of England that he was certain I was larding them up…but now that he’s lived in England for six years, he realizes I was UNDERSELLING the country. Isn’t that a lovely tribute to the power of family history? Of course, mom brought me up as an Anglophile and being easily able to trace her family back to Worcester in the 1400’s and then down to London and over the pond. As she got more involved in the D A R the fact her ancestors got to Charleston SC before 1690 became significant.
Joe, do you know why the folks in Charleston are like the Chinese? They both eat rice and worship the dead.
December 29th, 2024 at 9:27 pm
I’ve been to Europe twice. Once to the Loire Valley and Paris for three weeks for a study abroad and a month in Italy for dissertation research. I really want to go back. I just don’t have the funds at the moment. I love Italy though I’d like to see more of Europe and especially go to England.
December 29th, 2024 at 10:08 pm
Chuckling to myself—I have the money but two of my sons are hawks about my spending…fortunately the one who lives here encourages me to travel more—and since he has full access to all my financial investments, he does know exactly what I spend and what I donate and he isn’t concerned! Of course he’s the one who meets me at the ER and deals with my medical conditions.
I’ve honestly wanted to go back to Italy myself…we were there in July and Venice smelled like the sewer it is…and it happened to be my mother’s birthday. I was told the Italians don’t do birthday cake, and they suggested Italian Crème Cake…which was delicious…and has been a favorite ever since…Anyway, I’ve always wanted to see an opera at La Scala and spend more time in Florence and Rome…my mother used to laugh that during a dream one night I shouted out “don’t waste your time on the Vatican Museum.”
I am considering a trip to the Met Opera in May in conjunction with a program for donors…yes, my name is listed in the back of program under the Encore Society. We used to have a several day visit each Spring but Covid reduced that down to one long day. I’ve subsequently also joined a group that supports the broadcasts/telecasts and that is who is hosting the May event, which is over several days. It’s really going to be the condition with my right knee that determines if I do that trip. I’ve certainly made the required minimum donation…the Met bleeds money, but hey….a meal with Deb Voigt is one of the perks and I had lunch with her in 2016…
but yeah, this knee is hanging over me…
Obviously a visit to England to spend time with #9 Stephanie will be in order…so I’m definitely not saying no…
I can’t begin to tell you the love and support I get here in Indianapolis. I belong to two different gay men’s social groups—Prime Timers and then a local one called Fellowship, and a number of us are in both…Saturday we had a dinner and so many people were glad I had gotten through my health challenges…and I of course get that at church…
Well, I need to stop. I have a 10 pm curfew on keyboards!!!
If you would, pray for my friend Jett McCloud…he’s back in the hospital with pneumonia and a serious infection in his right foot and leg from his diabetes…I’m sure amputation has been mentioned, but he won’t share that with me….
On this First Sunday after Christmas, have a holly jolly time!