Vicar's Message for January

 WELCOMING JANUARY 2026!

Welcome to the time when our diaries are miraculously empty, our belts a little tight (physically and financially), and our commitment to self-improvement is, for a brief window, at an all-time high.

January has a unique way of making us feel both reflective and slightly ridiculous. We reflect on the year gone by, the moments of joy, the challenges we've faced, and perhaps, the questionable choices we made during the festive season. And then, in a fit of determined optimism, we make the New Year's Resolution.

The New Year's Resolution. That annual exercise in self-delusion, often abandoned by the third week of the month (if we're being generous). The gym memberships we enthusiastically sign up for but rarely use; the vow to give up chocolate, which lasts until the first Tuesday evening. We've all been there, haven't we? It's a very human, slightly humorous cycle of striving and, well, falling short.

We set these high goals and are sometimes embarrassed by our failures to reach them, putting on a brave face as if we have everything together. But the beauty of our faith is that God meets us exactly where we are, mid-resolution failure and all.

For Christians, the approach to the New Year doesn't have to be about a grim determination to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. It's about hope. An unshakeable, God-given hope that doesn't depend on our ability to stick to a diet or organise our sock drawer.

The Bible reminds us that "the Lord's mercies are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23). This isn't just a nice sentiment for a wall calendar; it's a profound truth. Every day, every month, every New Year, we are offered a fresh start, a chance to refocus not on our own fragile self-improvement plans, but on God's unwavering grace.

Instead of a rigid list of resolutions, perhaps we can set our goals with God, asking for His guidance on how to grow in faith and love, and to be a light for others.

This January, amidst the cold weather and the lingering post-Christmas tidying, let's embrace the humour of our human imperfections. Let's laugh at

our quickly abandoned resolutions and, more importantly, cling to the radical hope found in Jesus Christ.

Our hope for the future isn't in a perfectly executed plan, but in a God who loves us. He provides the strength and the promise of a future that never fades.

Happy New Year!                                                                                               

Paul

Revd Canon K Paul Arthur

Priest in Charge of Par, Charlestown, Treverbyn and St Blaise