St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church -- Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for New Year’s Eve -- December 31^st, 2002 and New Year’s Day -- January 1^st, 2003

This year marks the 37^th New Year that I’ve been a part of. I have to admit that of those 37 years, much of it has passed by without entering the permanent retention part of my brain. Even last year which is quickly drawing to a close doesn’t seem to make a big impression on me. I was trying to think about major events in the world and major events in our local news, but few jumped out at me. But one thing was certain whether I remembered a lot of things, or whether it is much like a blur that goes by much to quickly, God’s hand was in control of all of it.

That is how I viewed the year 2002, but I’m sure that everyone of us sitting here tonight has different views of last year. Was it a good year or a bad year? Was it an easy year or a tough year? Was it a sad year or a year of joy? I think I would be safe in saying that last year was much like the years before it. There were many happy times and there were most likely many sad and tough times. The real question that we must address as we look at the year past and as we look at the year ahead of us is how we as Christians look at our time on this earth.

While we can look back at the past and recount much of what happened, the future is quite different. As we look aver the horizon of the year 2003, what do you see? We see a faint glimpse which in reality tells us very little. The truth of the matter is this. As we look out into the future an uncertainty comes over us that might disturb us a little, especially when we realize that the future holds so very little that is absolutely sure. Our plans and programs are at the most wishful thinking. Peace, security, prosperity, health, happiness, are so elusive and can leave us as quickly as they came.

What, then, can give us hope and a firm, unshaken confidence as we look back at the past and live in the present and look forward to the future? The words of our text give the answer to this question. God who knows all things and tests our faith throughout our lives on this earth, used the Apostle Paul to write some words that give us some words of instruction, which we shall examine more closely under the theme:

The Apostle Paul was addressing the problem of grief, disappointment, and sorrow with the Christians in Corinth as he writes the words of our text,: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

These temporary things, nevertheless, are the great concern of most people. They are the causes of worries for many people. These things "seen", the material things, money, comfort, enjoyment satisfaction, are many times at the top of the priority list in how we look at the past, present and future. Many people would look back at 2002 and say it was good or bad by how the things seen poured into their lives or didn’t pour into their lives. When we make things seen the center of our lives and dwell on them as our main goals and hopes, then we are looking at life from the short perspective.

It isn’t uncommon for people, even Christians, to have a short perspective on life. It is very easy to get caught up in this world and all the things this world has to offer After all, we still have a sinful Old Adam that wants us to concentrate on the things we have or don’t have. The short perspective, we may call it the material outlook on life, is one of those clinging to the weaknesses of our Old Adam which is always looking to devour us..

As people look back at a year of God’s grace coming to a close and also at the same time look ahead to a New Year, sadly the majority of people see only the immediate tomorrow with its material, temporal problems. The man of business is concerned about the business trends. He wonders about the value of money, the volume of sales, the amount of taxes to be paid, the margin of profit, the success of his investments, and a hundred other things. Will the year be a good one, or will he fail and by failing lose his financial security?

The employee is also concerned, thinking mainly about jobs and wages. He wonders how secure his job is Will the tough economic times of 2002 continue into 2003 which might cause him to lose his job? Will there be a chance for an increase in wages so that our standard of living may continue as it is or even be raised? What about take-home pay, taxes, deductions, and benefits? The thoughts of the worker also are often primarily concerned with the things that can be seen.

Then there is the farmer. He has his worries too. He concerns himself about such things as the weather, good growing seasons, prices of farm commodities, diseases of plants and animals. He wonders what the new year holds in store for him who tills the soil and labors with the uncertainties and unpredictability of nature.

The list could be lengthened to include many more with fears and concerns. The child, the teen, the father, the mother, the white collar business man, the politician, the soldier, all have their concerns which are primarily centered in the things that can be seen and measured. How many of us have worried about food and other things of this world over the last year? How many of us have been walking in the "tall forest" of this blessed country only to realize that we have missed many of the small blessings around us.

How often do we need to remind ourselves that the things that we can see from the past, present and the future will move on like a rushing river. They are temporary and they will never truly make us happy or content. Moth and rust can destroy them. Gold and silver, power and pleasure, honor and praise, last only for a brief time, but with time they change and fade. Such has been and always will be the character of these temporal, material things. The joys, the security, the satisfactions which these bring, are short-lived. How very insecure it is to look at only the things seen of this world to decide how good our years and days are! To find true hope and confidence we need a different perspective. We need to look at something that is not temporary. We need to look beyond tomorrow.

The Christian looks at the past year and the new year, and at all the years of the future, not as an end in itself, but as a period of working and preparing for the real goal of life, the eternal home of heaven. Last year, this year, this life, to the child of God are our journey to reach the eternal home of heaven. We know that all the things of this life must fade like the flowers of summer fade when autumn comes. We know that even our bodies, which bears more marks of wear with each passing year, will not last forever, but will eventually turn to dust, but we know that the soul will live forever.

Thus we look at the things eternal, which are not seen. God and His love, the Savior and His grace, peace of soul through forgiveness, courage through confident hope of heaven, these are the objects of our looking and longing. Surely these things are not seen, and yet they are real. Men in their stubborn unbelief may mock those who live and walk by faith, who place eternal things first. But we with the eternal perspective look for new heavens and a new earth, where we will live in God’s righteousness. We have something concrete, unchangeable, and eternal.

Looking back at last year or looking ahead to the new year can hardly disturb us, for no matter what is going on in our physical life, no matter what our temporal experiences may be, how great our sorrow, how full our joy, the eternal goal and the eternal perspective remain constant and unchanging. The year ahead is simply another step nearer the goal for the pilgrim on his homeward journey. The unpleasant or pleasant experiences are but momentary distractions along the way. Actually the events that happened last year or may happen to us during the coming year, by the grace of God, will seek to strengthen us within and make our hope of heaven more sure..

Perhaps a worrying person might ask: "How can we have so wonderful a view of the past, present and the future?" How can we really be sure and confident? How can we deal with these temporal things, which the Apostle Paul calls "things seen" so that they do not bother us? Let us say at the outset, only a child of God, who knows his Father and his Father's love, can have such a view. A man without faith, whose heart is cold and untouched by the love of God, who has no idea of the peace of God in Christ, can have no other perspective than the short one which deals with the things of this world. He cannot look beyond to see heaven and peace.

But what about the sorrows and the pains of this time? They, being temporal and connected with temporal things, last but a little while. The hours and the days will fly past, and with them will go also the grief and disappointments. Furthermore, the child of God knows this, too, that sorrows and tough times work for the good of the believer in Christ. With the Apostle we confidently affirm: "All things work for the good of those who love God." We know that the issues of life are a part of the Father's eternal plan of grace. They are for a purpose. As the sun and the rain work together to bring a plant to grow, so all things, good or bad, work out for those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. The love of God gives assurance to us, and the tender mercies of the Savior, Christ Jesus, strengthen us in this earthly struggle. We know that the divine, ascended Lord is still ever present. His promise is clear and reassuring: "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

It is not difficult, then, to look at things not seen, the eternal things. In fact, the present, temporal things are not hopelessly distressing to us who are in Christ. Whether they are joyful or sad, pleasant or unpleasant, they serve the purposes of God for our eternal good. Our eyes are set on glory, the glory of heaven above.

How happy, how peaceful, how very confident, can our view of 2002 be as well as looking ahead to 2003! The old fears, the little concerns, the short view, the material considerations -- these are all so useless and foolish. The eternal truths, the everlasting goals will always remain. Above all the noise and confusion of human striving and ambition, above the ruins of fallen plans and shattered hopes, above the sound of laughter and weeping, the changeless Christ calls out to us with his precious gospel promise. And as we look to Him, all the little worries of time become so vain and useless. We recognize them as worthless troubles, the loss of which or the gain of which make no great difference in the larger life goal. This, then, is all we need to know and have this day, a great, grand view of the things eternal, a strong faith in Jesus, the eternal Savior, and a sure trust and confidence in the victorious Savior who has prepared a home in heaven for us. With such a perspective, looking far beyond tomorrow, beyond this year and this life, our year will be a happy and blessed one. Amen