03 Jan 2024
Rev Peter Crumpler, associate minister at St Paul’s Church in Fleetville, explains why we can make a positive change in our lives at any time of the year…
Time is everything. And doing things at the right time is vitally important too. But there’s nothing special about a new year.
Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion, especially a few days into 2024, with the embers of the old year still glowing warm. People across St Albans and Harpenden may still be keeping to their new year resolutions.
It’s true, a new year can make us think about new starts, new ways of doing things, new priorities, new decisions or new commitments. The growth of Veganuary is just one example, as people try the Go Vegan 31-day challenge.
But I’m not sure we need to wait till new year to decide to do something differently. Maybe each new day is a chance to look again at what we do.
Some religious practices focus on reviewing the day gone by and deciding how to make tomorrow different. There’s no need to hold back until a special day in the calendar, a birthday or an anniversary to make a change. In our hearts, we know this.
We also know that time can play tricks on us, especially when we try to look ahead.
The people who built the Roman city of Verulamium probably thought it would last forever. The people who martyred Alban probably thought he’d be forgotten in a week.
When Christ was crucified, his followers thought that it was the End. In reality, it was just the beginning of a worldwide movement that is still changing lives today. Many local churches will be running Alpha or other courses in 2024 to introduce the faith, and to give people the chance to ask questions.
And, looking back, was it really less than a year ago, that the St Albans Times was launched? Already, it’s a vital part of the city’s landscape.
So maybe my simple resolution, for the new year, or for whenever…is to be positive. To be optimistic. To hold firm to the Christian virtue of Hope, and to work for peace wherever I find myself.
It’s easy to be discouraged and angry, as we look at the horrors of the war in Gaza or Ukraine, or how democracy seems to be under attack across the world. Or the massive challenges posed by global warming.
But did we think we’d see the Berlin Wall come down or apartheid be dismantled peacefully in South Africa or the Northern Ireland peace agreement hold?
Whatever 2024 offers for you, I gently suggest that you might want to take time out to pause, reflect and decide whether you want to make changes this year. And then share this change with a partner or friend, so they can check up on how you’re doing.
If you have time, is there a local group that could do with your support? Or something you could do that would bring you fulfilment, including exploring faith? A glance at the pages of the St Albans Times shows many people and groups working to make St Albans, Harpenden and district a better place.
What can we each do to support them?
