Remembering 2021

Friday, December 31

Remembering 2021

And he [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

After weeks, if not months, of preparation, Christmas is now behind us. The festive food’s all eaten, the tree’s wilting in the corner of the living room, void of presents or a spark of life, the candles are burned low and the Christmas carols are all sung. The seemingly timeless break between then and now is over, and glory to God we’ve reached the end of another year.

The New Year holds hope for a brighter and better time ahead, at the same time allowing us to shut the door on the year now behind us. For many of us, today will be a day of celebrating what could be ahead in 2022. Yet how many of us will take some time to stop and remember what’s happened in 2021?

There’s such power in remembering, and marking the important occasions in our hearts, so much so that Jesus made sure that His disciples would remember their last meal together and the significance of it. It wasn’t a joyful thing He was asking them to remember, we know the story and it is far from it! Yet, to this day, followers of Christ around the globe celebrate this remembrance of Jesus in the same way that He set the example for them, two thousand years ago. That’s two thousand years of people doing the exact same thing, and all for one reason … to remember.

So, with 2021 on its way out, let’s take some time to remember. Remember the good times and blessings of 2021, and pray that we’ll have many more in 2022. Remember the laughter of 2021, and pray for more joy in 2022. Remember the sad times, the moments when you thought you would not have made it, but you God broke through and did a miracle, look forward to God’s continued strength and let that build our faith for 2022. And remember the hard times, and take courage in the fact that, by the grace of God, you came through them.

We can’t live our lives only looking back at what has been but, equally, we can’t live our lives shutting the door firmly on the past, and only looking to the future. The future’s unknown, uncertain. We can’t learn from the future, but we can learn from and rely on the faith we can draw from the past, and how God provided for us, healed us, helped us and loved us … despite all.

However you celebrate the New Year, may you remember the goodness, kindness and mercy of God, and may 2022 bring you closer to Him.

Prayer for today: Father God, help me to remember the past year with gratitude for all You’ve done. May my faith be built up for what’s to come in the year ahead. May 2022 be filled with Your presence and a year to remember too! Amen.