Some years ago, Rev Rob Anning came to preach at Elmsett Methodist Church. He asked us to sing a hymn by Rev John Bell, from the Iona Community, ‘You are the God of new beginnings’. It is a hymn that really speaks to me.
As with a lot of John Bell songs, it is reflective and relevant to our yesterdays our todays and our hope for the future, (and has a slightly quirky tune.) Copyright restrictions prevent me from copying the words directly here, so I will attempt to give you a flavour of what it says.
God gives us all new beginnings, and through Jesus, frees us from those things in our pasts that hold us back.
God gives us second chances, when others have discarded us. God sees our worth and our potential for the future.
God promises us a tomorrow with him that will be brighter than anything we could imagine, and we know God always keeps his promises.
God is beginning and end and is with us in all that we face, and through the power of his Holy Spirit assures us that we can achieve so much more than we could ever dare to imagine.
On this New Year’s Day we may be looking to the past with fondness or regret, with relief or with sadness; and we may be facing the New Year with anticipation and excitement, or perhaps with fear and anxiety.
Whatever New Year holds for you remember that God was, is and shall always be with us in whatever beginnings or ends we are facing.
May you know the God of new beginnings at the start of 2024.