Seven Wishes for the New Year

January 15, 2011 · Pastor Art – Bible Teacher

If I could make several important wishes for the people of the world in the New Year, what might they be? Of course, I would have to make my wishes in the context of my Christian faith. But I have an idea that people of other faiths, or even no faith at all, would be happy to embrace these wishes. They are common aspirations of humankind.

There is no order of importance here. I have to begin with something. But all these wishes are important to our earthly existence. I suppose they are all in short supply at least in many parts of the world. Those who have should share with those who have not.

I wish for you peace.

We need both world peace and personal peace. Selfishness and the craving for power seem to be at the root of all international disorder. Sadly, human nature tends to deny to others the advantages that one group enjoys. Even on the individual level, people seem to have increasing cognitive and emotive dissonance in their interior being—the mind and the emotions. There is a lack of internal harmony. The results of all this are predictable. Families fly apart. Crime increases. Neighboring nations have disputes. We arm ourselves with weapons of destruction. Win or lose, we seem to be stuck in recurring personal and international upheaval and trauma.

I know the answer to our restlessness. It is found in the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ. If we will turn from our profligate ways and receive Him into our lives, He will give us the gifts of personal, social and international peace.

I wish for you adequate food.

That's pretty basic. In these times—the early 21st Century—there is great hunger in many parts of the globe. War and natural disasters prevent people from getting enough food. Even when nations and non-profit groups fly in food to needy regions, it is often stolen by greedy and hostile warriors. The means of production are interrupted or devastated by civil war. The rains fail to come. Famine ensues. Mothers and children starve to death.

I know the answer to famine. It is found in the One who called himself the Bread of Life-Jesus Christ. He taught us to love one another. Love in practical terms calls upon us to share our bounty. When we have food surpluses stored up, then we must make them available to people and nations who are hurting.

Furthermore, we ought to share our agricultural knowledge with underdeveloped nations. There are ways to make the soil more productive. With nearly seven billion people on the earth in 2011, we must find better and more efficient ways to feed ourselves and others. It is the practical and loving thing to do.

I wish for you health.

With physiological knowledge growing, we fight cancer, cardiovascular disease, pandemics and HIV-AIDS-to name a few maladies.

Of course, there is much that the individual can do to avoid or lessen the exposure to these killers. I think of things like cleaning up the environment (e.g., the air we breathe and the water we drink), the cessation of smoking, weight reduction, mass inoculations and safe-sex, i.e. the use of condoms. Of course in the case of AIDS, abstinence until marriage and the commitment of one man with one woman in the covenant of a life-long relationship usually prevents the problem. Then there is the use of science for early detection and the use of appropriate medication and treatment procedures.

Closely related to the growing body of medical knowledge are individual initiative and availability of treatment. Each person must listen to his or her own body and recognize symptoms of physical disorder. All this also applies to mental and emotional problems.

If a need is recognized, there must be practitioners of the healing arts available to give treatment. This usually implies the possession of health insurance to pay for care. It is important, it seems to me, that health insurance be made available to all. In the Western World, we are working toward this ideal in medical care. We have a ways to go. In Third World countries, in spite of medical missions, such medical knowledge and treatment options are pretty rare. This is a constant concern.

I wish for you freedom from natural disasters.

In a fallen world, all of nature will function irregularly at times. We read often of earthquakes and tsunamis that kill millions of people. Tornadoes and hurricanes wreak havoc with huge property damage and death counts. These things cannot be prevented. But the devastating results can, in part, be mitigated with proper building codes and practices. Furthermore, such devastation can generally be anticipated and response plans developed. Every community should develop plans to mitigate the suffering when these natural disasters inevitably strike. And yet, I fervently hope that you will have a year ahead free of natural disasters.

I wish for you a sense of purpose.

There is nothing sadder than to drift through life without a sense of purpose. Many do. Probably the most fundamental question of our lives is, "Why do I exist?" From the smartest philosopher to the lowliest person, that is a relevant question that all of us must address. We have to have a purpose for our existence or life becomes meaningless. Sadly, some people regard themselves as cosmic orphans adrift in the universe. Not fun!

Others find purpose in their work and with their families. I find these things worthy. Nevertheless, there are these continually nagging questions that scream out for answers. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Even non-religious people live with those questions. I have a very good friend who said to me, "I have no faith; but I wish I did."

For the Christian there is a sense of purpose that we discover in the Bible: We came from God; we live on this earth to bring God glory and to help others. We are ultimately going back to God because of our relationship to Jesus Christ. Everyone ought to have this sense of purpose.

I wish for you joy.

This New Year should be, and can be lived with great joy. But, you say, there is so much sorrow in this world. You are right. There is enough difficulty in this life to make even the staunchest saint perpetually unhappy. This is where we must make a distinction.

There is a huge difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is dependent on favorable circumstances. We are always glad when the circumstances of our lives are positive and we can live in unfettered happiness. But what about having a deep inner joy that is not dependent on circumstances? Can we be unhappy and joyful at the same time? Yes, we can.

Periods of unhappiness are inescapable in this life. The circumstances vary: Illness invades; money is short; a marriage goes sour; children disappoint us. The list can be as long as human woes.

I know the answer to the purposelessness of our times. Again, it is in Jesus Christ. In Him we discover the reason for our unhappiness (a fallen, sinful human nature and the resultant distortion of the world of nature). The ultimate answer is in Jesus. We find forgiveness and receive the gifts of eternal life and the Presence of God in our lives. There are still flaws in our human nature to be sure (emotional and mental difficulties and physical illness). Nature still bears the scars of the fall, which we note in natural disasters. But one day, all of that will be remedied as well. Now, when we understand our purpose for existence in Jesus Christ, we can endure the flaws on both human nature and the physical universe. We know we have Jesus in our lives and with Jesus an eternity of peace. That brings and sustains joy!

I wish for you spiritual life.

I'm not talking about some sort of metaphysical or mystic consciousness. No, rather I am speaking about the discovery of eternal life in the Triune God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You see, humankind is bogged down in sin. That is not a pessimistic view of human nature. That is a reality that most people would freely concede. But God the Father made a plan of salvation. God, the Son carried out the plan by paying the penalty for our sins on the cross. We can be forgiven and receive eternal life. God the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead who now knocks on the door of our hearts and invites us all to receive the free gift of salvation given to us by the grace of God in Christ. If we receive it, we have spiritual life.

These then are my wishes for you for this New Year of life. Are there more things I would desire? Yes, of course. But these seven are pretty weighty. If we all come close to having these gifts in the New Year, we will be blessed of God indeed.

Photo Credit: Madhavan M, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India