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The New Year Is a Time to Give Thanks!

by Pastor Kurt Ebert on January 01, 2025

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).


As we start this new year, we not only take the time to look forward, but we also take the time to look back. We give thanks to God for His faithfulness and His commitment to walk with us through each day of life. He takes seriously His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us and His promise that He will be with us to the very end of the age. While His mercies are “new” every morning, we know that these mercies are new only because “great is His faithfulness.” His love does not wear thin. His passion does not wear out. His joy does not grow dim.

This time of year can be an interesting mix of joy and sadness, enthusiasm and exhaustion, hope and fear. We do not know what the year ahead might bring, but we do know who brings us into this new year, a faithful and loving Savior, who has stuck by our side each day of the year past. It is only right that as we start a new year we pause to express our deep gratitude. After all, isn’t this exactly a part of what New Year’s should be about? New Year’s is not just a time for resolutions, but a time for reflection. It is not just a time to look forward. It is also a time to look back. It is a time to give thanks. It is a time to speak up to those around us, letting them know exactly how much they impact and change our life. We are not individuals living on our own separate islands. We are an interconnected community of believers, who know that we are stronger together. As we start this New Year, take some time first to thank God for all of the ways that He has led us through this past year and then take the opportunity to express your words of appreciation to those that God has
placed in your life.

As we begin the New Year, we give thanks to all the faithful people of God who have shaped and formed our lives to this point. We give thanks for the faithful servants and stewards of Calvary who have helped make our church what it is today. We pause to remember and honor our past, as we look forward to the continuation of that mission, that ministry, and that community of Christ in the year ahead. We pray that God would bind us together in Christian love and faith each day of this year to come. May He be the One who leads us and guides us, as we heed His loving call, to “come, follow me.” May we continue to be His witnesses in all areas of our lives, as we seek to Connect others to Christ, Learn together His Word, and Care for our community and world in His name. May our loving Lord fill our days with His gifts of grace, as we start and end this year ahead with full thanksgiving and praise to Him who has given us everything that we have.

We can approach the year ahead with boldness because we know that we rest safely in God’s grace. May God fill your days this year with the confidence of the Gospel, for we know where our help comes from. “Our help comes from the Lord!” (Psalm 121:2a).

 New Year’s Day is a good time to fix one’s eyes on the only One who knows what the year is to hold. ~ Elisabeth Elliot