New Year, Same God

why there’s reason to hope for another year

January 2, 2022
Second Sunday after Christmas Day | Year C
Jeremiah 31:7–14 (NRSV)

TL;DR

• 2022 is pronounced, “2020 too”
• Jeremiah 31 is a message of comfort and consolation amidst captivity, which describes God as our shepherd & deliverer
• God = shepherd & deliverer = God-with-us = Jesus
• Our self-autonomy (or “freedom” as we call it) gets in the way of God-with-us

The past two years have felt like an exile for many of us due to the ongoing pandemic. We have been separated for the sake of social distancing. We have been isolated for the sake of quarantining. We have been exiled from what was familiar and what was normal. Consequently, there has been a lot of confusion and pandemonium since everyone hates being told what to do.

Of course, our experiences are not the same as those who have been deported and exiled from their physical homes. But as members of a first-world country, we felt a glimpse of what it means to be captives living a life full of uncertainties and unknowns.

In today’s scripture, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to those who were expecting and experiencing this very captivity. Jeremiah is known for his messages of doom and destruction, conveying how people should expect a long period of dreadful exile. So, today’s reading from Jeremiah 31 has a bit different tone — it is rather cheery and uplifting. For this reason, this chapter is often called the book of consultation and comfort (Chapters 30–33).

Jeremiah says the people are called to praise God for God has saved the people. God will bring the people back — gather the remnants, the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor. God will lead them back, providing them with a straight path by brooks of water, so they may not stumble.

Jeremiah says God will gather them together and keep a careful eye on them. And the people will shout and dance with joy. Their weeping will turn to laughter, sorrow to gladness, and scarcity to abundance.

And this message of consolation and comfort is paired with two central images. The first image is the Lord being our shepherd. This shepherd imagery reminds us of Isaiah 40:11,

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.

as well as Psalm 23:1–3,

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

And the second image is the Exodus narrative, how God led Gods’ people out of Egypt as a father to Israel.

The main theme between these two images is how God is walking with us in our journey of deliverance. The good news that makes us sing and dance with joy is that God is with us.

Just as the light shines in the darkness (John 1), God-with-us shines even when it feels like God-is-not-with-us. We understand the good news of God-with-us when we experience what it is like to be God-without-us. This is not to say that God deliberately put people through exiles so that we may discover God. But rather, it is that people can find God’s presence even in the darkness.

What we celebrate is that God is with us and God is walking beside us as our Lord during this period of darkness. And God will deliver us as God has always done. God-with-us, Immanuel, Jesus Christ has already saved us by being born to us. And he is the good shepherd, and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). Whatever darkness we may face, as an individual or as a community, and whatever new trials and tribulations we may be put up against, the truth is that Jesus Christ is with us always (Matthew 28:20).

At the beginning of each year, we often see the phrase “New Year, New Me.” This is a very appealing phrase for people who still care to change... I’m going to become a better version of myself so that I can be in a better place next year. I’m going to change myself so that I can withstand any challenges. I’m going to transform myself so that I can finally be free from financial/relational/vocational/etc. troubles.

And even for those who are totally content with who they are right now, this concept of self-autonomy is very important, the capacity to decide for oneself and pursue a course of action in one’s life. As I mentioned earlier, we hate being told what to do. The most important value in our life, at least here in the U.S., seems to be having this personal autonomy (a.k.a. personal freedom). And the $10.4 billion self-improvement market testifies to this reality.

However, one thing we must notice from today’s scripture is who the remnants are. Who are the people God is gathering and shepherding? It says in verse 8,

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.

The people described here are vulnerable individuals. Their society marginalizes their existence, whether it be willful or unintentional, often to the point where they are not afforded full self-autonomy.

The scripture is not just telling us that God cares about these people. The scripture is telling us that God leads those who can be led, whose life is susceptible to the divine influence, whose posture is open to receive, whose cup is ready to overflow. On the contrary, it is the self-autonomy or self-agency that prevents us from discovering fully and relying entirely on God-with-us.

God-with-us means we walk our journey with God. Through God’s grace, we receive not just God’s fractions, but God’s fullness so that we may love God and neighbor. This means we are not just to focus on our self-improvement or self-autonomy but to champion the beloved community here on earth as in heaven. And this God’s-Kingdom-Come is why we hope, why we celebrate, and why we rejoice with singing and dancing.

Friends, this is a new year, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. So new year, but same God. I sincerely pray, whether this new year marks the end of this dreadful pandemic or not, that your life and our life be filled with celebrations of God’s grace upon grace. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Minoo Kim is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, currently serving in the Virginia Annual Conference. He will very much appreciate it if you like and follow his Medium profile. Peace!