The Old is Gone

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

—2 Corinthians 5:17

A new year has officially begun. We can only imagine what this new year may hold for us. But, the one thing we can know for certain, God is the One in charge. He has our best interest in mind. He will open up a new way for us during this new year.

One New Year’s Eve more than 55 years ago, the gospel quintet of which I was a part, sang at a worship service that celebrated the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It was the end of 1964 and the beginning of 1965. The church was packed with people of all ages. They had come to thank God for His blessings over the past year and to praise Him in anticipation of the blessings He would bestow during the coming year.

We had a fairly large number of songs in our repertoire. Most of them were classic gospel favorites of that time. We had had the privilege of singing at many churches in our area. People were quite familiar with the catalog of songs that we sang.

But, the one song that always evoked a positive response from the congregation was entitled: “There’s a New Name Written Down in Glory and It’s Mine.” This song expressed the great joy someone experiences when they recognize the great gift of salvation that God has given them through the birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I was thinking back to those long ago days, it occurred to me that perhaps this old song might be a good way to celebrate the beginning of 2021. Just as the flipping of the page on a calendar to a new year opens up the possibility of new hope, so the acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord of one’s life opens up an exciting new beginning.

Here’s a recording of that song by a quartet that was quite famous back in that long-ago day. I hope the sentiment of this song will ring true for you throughout this new year.

 

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