Anglican Bishop: The Rt. Revd. James R. Wong Yin Song’s New Year message |31 December 2021

‘A new year is a new beginning, a new creation’

“Greetings to you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

“As we enter New Year 2022, we turn the page of year 2021. A difficult year strained by hardship and challenges caused mainly by Covid-19. The New Year is like a new chapter in the book of our life. How do you want to fill the pages of this new episode?

“A new year is a new beginning, a new creation; it is like a new birth. We know that we need to make changes in our life, start on a new plan, do new things, and say goodbye to old habits, problems, and difficulties we start by making new plans and new resolutions. We might feel excited, inspired, and hopeful, but also concerned.

“The question is whether we will continue and persevere or quit our plans and resolutions. Will we revert to our habitual behaviour and continue living the same kind of life as last year, without making any modifications or enhancements?

“My beloved brethren, the beginning of a new year inspires us to a new start and to make changes in our life.

“As Christians, we need to have a well-defined goal to prevent us from drifting and we might lose interest and stop what we have started. Jeremiah tells us: God has a plan for us for welfare which will give us a future and a hope1. And Paul in his epistle to the Romans teaches us that all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 ESV Bible Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

“Then, we should be motivated and inspired so that when we encounter difficulties and obstacles, we do not give up. We have to persevere with our faith in action. St James tells us in his letter chapter 1:

“23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

“How should we keep persevering? We simply need not to give up. Training and strengthening our will power and self-discipline can enhance our perseverance. To carry out our resolutions, we need to take action right now; postponing actions, waiting for tomorrow might never bring the right changes in our life.

“If we need to improve our life, we need to be brave enough to leave our comfort zone and do things differently and do things in a different way, and do things we have never done before, otherwise we cannot initiate change in our life.

“And my dear fellow pilgrims on our earthly journey, we will go through doubts and discouragements. People around us seeing changes and transformed lives might be afraid of change and might discourage us. Doubts and discouragements are from our adversary the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour2.

2 ESV Bible 1Peter 5:8

3 ESV Bible John 14:15

“Indeed, a new year brings new beginning and new resolutions. It depends on us if we are going to carry our resolutions, on our inner strength, and on our ability to continue despite difficulties and obstacles. Year 2022 will be a successful one as long as we entrust everything in God’s hand in prayer. Jesus tells us: “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.3”

“Together for His glory.”

The Most Rev Dr James Wong Yin Song

Your brother and fellow pilgrim