Grace and peace are yours through the kindness and compassion of our Lord. Amen.

Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us-- yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. ⁸ He said, "Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me"; and so he became their Savior. ⁹ In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Lord God Almighty, how majestic is your name in all the earth, for you have been our salvation and helper. We praise and thank you for all your blessings — for your protection, for your loving care in every situation of life, and for the grace and peace we have received through Christ. Bless us in the year ahead that we may always adore you, trust in your name, and constantly serve you; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In the ancient calendar used by the Romans, from which our calendar was created, the name of each month had a meaning. For example, some of the months were named for the false gods that the Romans worshiped. March was named after Mars, the god of war. May was probably derived from the goddess Maia. June was named after the goddess Juno. The months July and August were named after Julius Caesar and his successor, Caesar Augustus. September, October, November, and December were named for the numbers seven, eight, nine, and ten in the Latin language. That was the order in which those months fell in the Roman calendar.

One month in the ancient Roman calendar that had an especially descriptive name was January. The Latin word janua means a door or window from which a person may look both ways, in other words, in and out –forward and back. Historians say that January is also derived from the name Janus, a common household god among the Romans. He was often depicted facing in two directions. Basically, he was looking forward and back.

As we stand at the doorway to the month of January and a new year, we naturally look back over the way we have come. We also naturally look ahead to the New Year and where we are going. Tonight we celebrate God’s grace as we look back on this past year with appreciation and as we look ahead to the New Year with anticipation.

Isaiah gives us the wonderful prayer of someone who recognizes all that the Lord has done for his people: "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us-- yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. ⁸ He said, ‘Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me’; and so he became their Savior. ⁹ In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."

Isaiah acknowledged that the Lord had done many good things for his people. The Lord had brought his people out of slavery in Egypt. He gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. He defeated their enemies. Through mighty miracles he had protected his people and prospered them. He blessed their crops and their other sources of income. He did all these things because of his compassion and love. They were God’s people and they enjoyed all the benefits of being God’s people.

This reminder of what God did for his people of old reminds us of what God does for his people today. He still does great things for us. Think of some of the big news stories of this past year: a tsunami, hurricanes, and war on national and global scales. Still, in the midst of these horrible tragedies and difficulties, God displayed his kindnesses – an outpouring of love, support and money to the victims of the tsunami and hurricanes, and now a free people in Iraq with their own constitution and government. We are grateful that we haven’t had another terrorist attack on American soil. We are thankful that the levees in New Orleans held until after Hurricane Katrina was over, otherwise tens of thousands more could have been killed. We are optimistic that although the Packers are 3-12, at least they are in the hunt for Reggie Bush.

In the midst of sorrow, death, and tragedy, God’s compassion and many kindnesses are evident. As Isaiah says: "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us-- yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses."

But someone might look at their individual life and say that not everything in 2005 was good. "I had troubles and problems. In fact this year was one of the worst I have ever had. I lost my job. I was sick. I faced financial problems and other troubles. 2005 was not a good year and I really don’t see all that much that God has done for me."

We may face the temptation to have those kinds of thoughts. Isaiah’s people knew that outwardly things seemed bad and very uncertain. They faced persecution. Their country was under the threat of foreign invasion. Yet, Isaiah knew that no matter how bad things looked, God was with him and his people. We can only see things from a human perspective. God has a heavenly, eternal perspective, working everything out for our eternal good.

Isaiah says, "In all their distress he too was distressed." God was distressed with us in our distress. Through all the problems we faced in 2005, God was sympathetic to us. It always makes us feel better when someone knows what we are going through, when someone understands. Our God felt our pain. While we were shedding tears of sorrow, our God was watching us and caring about us.

Isaiah continues, "and the angel of his presence saved them." We may never know all the close calls we had last year. We may never know how many disasters the Lord protected us from. We may have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and not even known it. But we do know the Lord’s presence saved us from disaster. He sends his angels to protect us and he shelters us under his protecting hand.

Take a moment to look back in appreciation for all that the Lord has done for us this past year – shelter, food, clothing, family, friends, Christian education – we have enjoyed God’s creation for another year. The Lord has provided us with blessings beyond belief, way more than we can use.

Actually, we only have to look back one week to be reminded of God’s grace. A week ago tonight was Christmas Eve. We were reminded that Christ was born to live the holy life we have not lived and to die under the just punishment for our sins. That is the clearest and most complete reminder of God’s kindness and love for us.

But obviously our spiritual blessings for 2005 weren’t confined to Christmas. For the last 52 Sundays our God has fed us with his Word when we gathered for worship. We followed Jesus to the cross, we shouted, "He is risen!" We listened to the words and works of our Savior God. In Bible class and Sunday school and through our personal time in God’s Word we have found healing and hope. We have felt God’s presence and been reassured of his love when we sinned. We came to the Lord’s Table as forgiven children of God to receive the body and blood of Christ. Jesus invited us to eat and drink the proof that full payment for our sins has been made. Although we have many things to be thankful for this New Year’s Eve, we are most thankful for these Means of Grace that God has given us – His Word and Sacraments.

Because of God’s grace, we can look back at this year with appreciation. No matter what has happened to us, the Lord has been good to us.

The other part of our New Year’s celebration is looking ahead. We make resolutions. We make plans. We look forward to another year of God’s grace. We can look ahead to 2006 with anticipation.

We know that in 2006 we will fail many times. We will fall short of God’s perfect and holy will. But we also know that our Lord’s mercy is new every day. We know that our God will forgive us through the blood of his Son Jesus Christ. No matter how badly we stumble next year, our God will have mercy on us. We have blown it many times this year and will blow it again next year, but our God will forgive us. We will again find hope and comfort in God’s Word. We will see souls enter the kingdom of God through the sacrament of baptism. We will grow in unity as we kneel at the communion rail to receive the body and blood of the Lord. We will usher departed souls into the kingdom of heaven. We look ahead to 2006 with anticipation of God’s grace and forgiveness.

Instead of looking ahead to 2006 with anticipation there are many who look ahead with fear and apprehension. What will the New Year hold? Will the economy be good or bad? What if we lose a loved one or lose a job? What if another disaster strikes? Again we hear the words of Isaiah’s prayer, "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old." In any distress that might come our way in 2006 God will be with us. He will rescue us and carry us through even the worst of times. We may experience setbacks but the Lord will only do what is best for us.

And what reason may the Lord have for allowing troubles this next year? He always uses these events that seem bad to draw us into a closer relationship with him. They also serve to remind us that the Lord is our strength and our only way out of trouble.

When a baby giraffe is born its mother does something that we might consider cruel. The mother gives her offspring a good kick. When it doesn’t get up the mother gives it another kick. This process is repeated again and again until the baby giraffe slowly stands up. Then the mother knocks the baby giraffe down again so it remembers how it got up. Why does the mother do this? The baby giraffe has to be able to walk very quickly after birth. There are lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild dogs that enjoy baby giraffes. If the mother didn’t do what looks like a cruel thing the baby would never survive. The Lord does a similar thing to us through trials and troubles. He knocks us down to teach us how to get up. He teaches us where to go for help. He teaches us how to be strong and face the attacks of the devil and this world. He has made us stronger Christians as we have learned to rely upon our God more fully.

In the good times and in the bad times God is with us. As his children we tell of all the good things he has done for us. Today as you ring in the New Year, celebrate God’s grace. Grace that moves us to look back with appreciation. Grace that allows us to look ahead with anticipation. Amen.