Tonight, we turn the calendar's page to another year. It's hard to believe that the year 2022 is just around the corner. I remember when the George Orwell book 1984 was a futuristic tale, and when the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was distant-future science fiction. Now it seems like both of those dates are ancient past. And if that doesn't blow your mind, remember that the future, in Back to the Future II, is now seven years in the past.

But here we are, on the brink of a new day, a new month, a new year. Tonight we'll ring in the new year with celebration and tomorrow it will be January, 2022.

You may be aware that Janus, for whom many believe this month was named, was the Roman mythical god who had two faces--one looking to the past, the other facing the future. And that's what January is about, a transitional month between the old and new. As we look forward to all the possibilities for a new year ahead, we also look back over our shoulders at where God has brought us, and how He has faithfully worked in our lives.

As we look back on 2021, it is not hard to focus more on the negatives that have punctuated a tumultuous year. Even with the recent surge of a new variant of the coronavirus, the pandemic has certainly leveled out some, and life is largely back to normal for most of us. Still, it doesn't look like Covid is going anywhere any time soon, and in so many ways it is still hanging over our heads. The political rancor in our land has left our nation more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Socially and morally, it seems that the downward spiral has picked up speed. Our economy continues to teeter on edge, with inflation almost out of control and our government amassing debt for generations to come, all the while waiting for the next bubble to burst.

Which leads us to 2022. The natural tendency is to face the New Year with fear and trepidation. And on the surface, there's plenty of reason to at least be concerned about the future. Personally, I believe things in our society will get worse before they get better. But we mustn't give in to fear, and we mustn't lose hope.

Someone counted--and I am sure you have seen the meme to prove it--that the Bible says "Fear not" 365 times, once for every day of the year. I don't think there is anything intentional about that, or we would be in trouble when leap years rolled around. Aside from the symbolism, the 365 occurrences of that statement remind us that there were plenty of people who were afraid in Bible times too. Because you don' t have to tell someone not to fear if they don't have a reason to be afraid.

Still, the Lord speaks into our fears with those simple words: "Do not be afraid." And very often, that simple admonition is followed by a promise, a reminder:  "...'for I am with you,' says the Lord." In other words, the reason we need not be afraid is not because He will make all of our circumstances better, but that He will be with us through whatever comes our way. Or, as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "He will never leave us, nor forsake us."

It may be a cliché, but it is still true: We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. And He can be trusted.

I am excited about the year ahead, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us at Shelby Crossings in 2022 as we serve Him together. I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you....next year....this Sunday!  Have a safe and blessed New Year!

--Pastor Ken