The Great New Year’s Resolution

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 1:68-79

November 21, 2004

1. Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is a relatively recent tradition, began in 1925 just after World War I, in response to what was happening. All across Europe, leaders began declaring themselves The Ultimate Leader. It was a dangerous trend that "ultimately" led to Fascism, to Nazism, and to Communism. Citizens who didn’t pledge their loyalty lost their jobs; millions even lost their lives at the hands of their dictators. You would think Christians would have put a stop to it, but they came to fear those governments more than they feared failing Jesus. They did not realize the insidious nature of their leader’s actions. Those Christians remained silent, even when swastikas were placed on the pulpits, even when good people were violated. Many Christians forgot who they were, and Whose they were. Only a few dared to resist the cruel spirit of that age by being disloyal to their own government. Filled with resolution, they took courageous stands for the sake of Christ’s Way. So, to reinforce that Jesus the Christ was their only true "Ultimate Leader," Pope Pius XI dedicated a Sunday for that very purpose. He called it "Christ the King Sunday," to remind all Christians that Christ is the Ultimate Leader. He placed it at the very end of the Christian year.

2. This Sunday is the last Sunday of the year for the Church. I know that seems strange, but the People of God don’t mark time exactly by the business and social calendar. That calendar shows that there are a good six weeks left before this year ends. December 31^st will be the last day of 2004, January 1^st will be the first day of 2005. But for the Church, today is the last Sunday of this year, and next Sunday will be the first Sunday of next year. So, for all practical purposes, Christ the King Sunday is to the Church year what New Year’s Eve is to the calendar year. And today we’re going to do what we do every New Year’s Eve—we’re going to make New Year’s Resolutions. It may seem a bit premature. After all, it’s only November 21. Thanksgiving hasn’t come yet; Christmas is still a month away. But next Sunday is "New Year’s Day"—the first day in Advent; the first day of the new Church year. Today is "New Year’s Eve" for us!

3. All that being said, let’s get back to the topic at hand—New Year’s Resolutions. It’s so easy to get into the resolution urge on New Year’s Eve. We look back at the year’s failures and we think about what we’d like to happen next year. There’s a strong sense of renewal, of rebirth, coupled with the guilty awareness that we ate our own weight in sweets during the holidays. Sure, last year’s resolutions didn’t make it past the fifth of January, but hey, this year’s going to be different, right? Most of us don’t have a clue about how to make a reasonable resolution, which is exactly why most of us fail to keep the ones we make. All too often we set high goals for ourselves, and then wonder why we never reach them. So we either stop setting goals (never a good choice), or make resolutions that are ridiculously easy to keep. I read about a man had failed to keep his resolutions year after year, and finally decided breathing was going to be his only resolution! Admirable goal, you must admit. I hope he didn’t have any trouble keeping it!

4. What kind of New Year’s resolutions do you make? I did a little research and discovered the 10 most popular New Year’s Resolutions. Here they are: Spend more time with family and friends; become more physically fit; lose weight; quit smoking; enjoy life more; quit drinking (alcohol, I’m assuming); get out of debt; learn something new; help others; and get organized! Do they sound familiar to you? Some of them have found a place on my list, until a few years ago when I finally resolved to quit making resolutions! I’m not disciplined enough to keep at it, and I hate feeling guilty when I can’t.

5. So why am I talking about New Year’s resolutions today? Because if we’re going to be serious about being Christians, if we sincerely want to make Jesus The Ultimate Leader in our lives, then we need to be resolute about it! We need to resolve to follow his direction. And we need to ask ourselves "In what ways is Christ the "King" in our lives?" There are lots of ways for us to think of Jesus: Savior who sets us free from sin, teacher who leads us to wisdom and truth, friend who understands and comforts us. But to call Jesus "King of our lives" is to make him the only one we will serve. To serve any other amounts to treason. It is an enormous challenge to resolve to follow Christ in a world where every organization wants our unwavering loyalty! Think about it! If you determine to have the mind of Christ Jesus, how will that affect your life? Your work, your business dealings, your marriage, your play time? To make Jesus your Ultimate Leader will change your life!

7. Don’t try everything at once. There’s a temptation to come up with a long list of everything we’ve ever wanted to change about ourselves. Don’t go there! You’ll find it easier to focus on goal. You can always add another one later. So resist the temptation to make your resolution: "I’m going to be like Jesus." That’s more than any of us can ever hope to accomplish. You might focus on only aspect of his life—prayer, or relationships, or social issues. That’s the first suggestion—don’t try everything at once; start with one.

8. Second suggestion: Word it carefully. Resist saying "This new year I’m going to pray the way Jesus prayed," or "I will welcome sinners," or "I am going to be a social activist." That sets us up for an incredible amount of stress. It forces you to think of your resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do. Try to make it sound attractive: "This year I’m going to explore different ways of praying, using Jesus’ model as my own." Or "This year I want to make a new friend, one outside my normal circle of friends, like Jesus did." Or "This year I intend to learn more about one social justice issue." Invite yourself into resolution.

9. The third suggestion: Make a plan. Once you’ve identified your resolution, break it down into manageable parts. Nobody accomplishes anything significant by trying to do it all at once. Your plan doesn’t have to be complicated; put just enough thought into it to give you a starting place. Here’s an example. Maybe your resolution is to make a new friend, one outside your normal circle of friends, like Jesus did. A minister I know had that very same resolution. His plan was to go to a bar, which he had never done before, and strike up a conversation with one of the other people there. It wasn’t long before he found some hopeless soul, with whom he could share the hope he knows as a Christian. It had made a huge difference in both of their lives!

10. Fourth and last suggestion: Write it down. Write down your resolution and your plan of action. Stick it up on your mirror or your refrigerator or computer monitor. That way you’ll be certain to see it every day; you’ll have a constant reminder of your resolution. You may want to change the wording or tweak the plan, but that’s okay—you have one whole year to work on it.

11. Those are four suggestions we can all follow if we want to make Christ our King. He knows there are some changes that must be made if God’s will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He invites us to share his hope, and work to make changes which will make the world a better place, beginning where we are. Happy New Year!