There are so many years each year! The calendar year, the school year, the financial year. And then there is the liturgical year through which we enjoy all the major festivals. This ‘church year’ begins late November/early December with Advent Sunday and ends with ‘Christ the King’. Each year we remember Jesus’ ministry, teachings and trials. We remember Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. But as we go through these events, we always bear in mind that at the end of the year we end on a triumphant note as we celebrate ‘Christ the King’. This cycle of the year can be a very helpful template for our own lives. From birthday to birthday we can remember our own childhood, youth and adult life; we can recall landmark moments and important people; we can trace our development as a person and note the path that has brought us to where we are. In order to prove to ourselves that we are still alive (!) we can make annual resolutions, take on challenges, make a point of growing in faith, and also faithfulness to those who share our life with us. Of course, as well as the things we plan, each year has its fair share of unexpected joys and sorrows. Sometimes matters can overwhelm us to the point that we want to hide away. 

Maybe the last thing we want is to push ourselves because we feel pushed about enough. Such feelings are understandable, but when they come it might help to know that we don’t travel through each year alone. Life has been designed by God to be a shared journey. By the grace of God each one of us will find the right balance between being dependent and dependable. And then, with Christ beside us, may we also end each cycle of our lives on a triumphant note! May we never lose sight of the reasons why our life is worth celebrating.