2023 is here. And with the new year comes many new things. In Washington State, there are new laws for a higher minimum wage and lower carbon emission standards. In the US, there is a new Congress. There are numerous new inventions and products – have you noticed the self-propelling baby carriage? It does not need pushing and can be steered remotely! The FDA has just approved new drugs to treat Alzheimer's and other disorders. We are only in the third week, and the list of new things is already very long.

Tomorrow, around two billion people globally will celebrate the Lunar New Year. Headlined by the money bunny (a homonym for the future, the new year being the Year of the Rabbit), people wishing each other new fortunes and prosperity may set messaging records across multiple apps, and the number of people traveling globally to visit family and friends may set a new post-pandemic record for short-term human migration.
As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, what “new” blessings from God can transform our lives and impact our future? Here are seven of my favorites:
• A new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), changing me from stone to flesh.
• A new covenant in Jesus’ blood (1 Corinthians 11:25), making me one of God’s own.
• A new command to love one another (John 13:34), learning to love like Jesus did.
• A new life to live (Romans 6:4), giving me a fresh start and new ways to create meaning in life.
• A new self to put on (Ephesians 4:24), reflecting His true righteousness and holiness.
• A new way of the Spirit to serve (Romans 7:6), breaking the chains that held me.
• A new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1), living forever without sadness or pain.

Of course, a new year does not do away with our prior challenges nor preclude new difficulties. I wish our new year well-wishing could erase massive layoffs, eliminate infections, stop suffering, and reduce food inflation. But that is not the task for any one of us. We are commanded to love one another, and to point people to the One who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). May God renew our strength daily to do just that.