Coming exactly a week after Christmas, it feels good to know that celebrations are to continue.

New Year celebrations can be a lot more raucous and noisy than Christmas, and I regularly have to use ear plugs to get some sleep. Tonight (31^st December) I will have to do the same, but it’s good to hear people enjoying themselves. Tomorrow I will get phone calls and messages from family and friends and by Sunday everything will be back to normal. We will have church services as usual and life will go on.

I remember one particular New Year’s eve when there was some apprehension as to whether the transition from the year 1999 to 2000 would run smoothly. Because we were entering a new millennium, there could apparently have been some computer problems that might result in airplanes falling out of the sky, and general chaos and confusion in commerce and industry. It didn’t happen and we have had amazing advances in technology since then.

But New Year hasn’t always been a happy time for everyone. Just this morning our church fellowship received news of a sad and untimely death. No doubt the road accident death toll will plunge some families into mourning; people will die of Covid 19, strokes, heart attacks, cancer and diabetes.

However, in spite of all the negative, we can be sure that really happy ‘new years’ are coming. “Behold I make all things new,” says the God who created heaven and earth (Revelation 21:5 NKJV). God looked on his original creation and said it was good. So what went wrong? Just about everything, as humans (Adam and Eve) made the biggest mistake on record.

Half way across the world at the time of writing, New Zealand has already welcomed 2022. They are having some spectacular fireworks displays, cheering, shouting and generally looking happy. In a few hours South Africa will be doing the same. We all hope for better things to come, and indeed they will. When Jesus said he is making all things new, it wasn’t limited to restoring the earth, agriculture and having rain in due season. We are to get new bodies, new names, new songs and perhaps a new language. All the sadness and sin will be past and forgotten. Finally there is to be new heavens and a new earth.

Do we have something to look forward to? Absolutely. Happy New Year!