Celebrating Christmas and thinking of Yearly Themes [Being Indian and Christian #6]
Hi friends,
Merry Christmas!
It is that time of the year when we might reflect on the year that went by and plan for the year to come. In connection with that idea, I would like to introduce you all to the idea of the yearly theme.
I have long been a fan of the YouTuber CGP Grey. One of his ideas that I really like is that of a Yearly Theme. He suggests that instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, why not decide on a theme for the New Year? Resolutions are often tough to stick on to, and it can be highly demotivating when we do (often very quickly) fail to keep them. A theme is tough to fail at. It is rather vague (not quantifiable easily), but it is vague on purpose. For example, instead of deciding to read 20 new books in the coming year, you could decide that 2023 would be the year of reading. By the end of the year, even if you only read 2 or 3 books than you otherwise would have, it still was the year of reading.
I have been reflecting on the fact that having a morning routine could be something highly beneficial for me. Similarly, I require a planning routine to plan for my lessons at school. And so, deciding that 2023 would be a year of routines seemed like a good idea. As I was talking with a friend, he suggested that the phrase Rhythms of Grace captures the idea of routine but in a nicer way. He was inspired by the name my church has given to its liturgy booklet. This is a new church I have been visiting for the past couple of months. So, 2023 feels like the year of Rhythms of Grace.
Therefore, my theme for the year 2023 would be: Rhythms of Grace
Explanation: I would like to live my life intentionally with the rhythms of grace that God has provided. This includes the various means of common grace such as sleeping, waking up and eating on time, as well as various special means of grace, such as the Word, prayer and fellowship. I want to live my life by rhythms – a time to work, a time to plan, a time to pray, a time to read, a time to sleep, and so on. And I want to remind myself that these are rhythms of grace. They are available because of the cross.
I am sharing my theme for 2023 here so it can be a form of public accountability. In the final newsletter I write for 2023 I hope to share a review of how the year went by.
Here are the links I want to share this week:
Being Merry on Christmas — Jeyapaul Caleb
I have often struggled with not being all that visibly excited about the season. But I think that’s okay. It is perhaps alright if we can count it as joy, to use the words of our brother James. So then the question is this: How do we count Christmas as merry or happy? Right accounting requires right knowledge. And I believe increased knowledge in three specific areas could lead to experiencing greater joy on the occasion of Christmas.
If you’re interested in the idea of a yearly theme but want greater clarity on what I (perhaps poorly) tried to convey, here is the video which initially inspired me. Even if you’re not particularly interested in it, I still recommend it for the really cute animation!
Ten Questions for a New Year | Desiring God
This has been a very useful resource for me over the past two years. Even if you forget about these by the time February comes around, I believe even the act of thinking through the questions and writing them down could be highly beneficial to our spiritual health.
That’s it for this edition, folks! Once again, wishing you a joyful and merry week ahead, and a Christ-filled 2023!
Caleb