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Introduction
Today is the last Sunday of 2025.
In the past, we held a New Year’s Eve service each year. We no longer do that, so today is especially important.
Today is our moment, as a church, to reflect: on the year that has been, on where we are now, and on where God may be leading us.
This is a moment to listen for what God has to say.
Scripture
Isaiah writes:
“I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord… He became their savior in all their distress… it was his presence that saved them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” (Isaiah 63:7–9)
Context: Hopes That Met Reality
Isaiah is speaking to Jews who had returned to Jerusalem after exile in Babylon.
They had been gone for seventy-five years. The group that returned had never seen Jerusalem.
But they had heard the stories—stories of glory, of God’s presence, of the Temple.
They dreamed of returning with joy and triumph. They imagined restoration. They imagined a glorious life in Jerusalem like it had been for their ancestors.
But when they came back, reality hit. The city was broken. The Temple remained in ruins. They were not welcomed as returning heroes by the local population.
In fact, it was quite the opposite – they were treated with hostility as outsiders and strangers.
The community was divided. The rebuilding was slow. People were focused on survival, not renewal. Hope quickly turned into disappointment.
The Deeper Issue: Disillusionment
When expectations are not met, the natural result is disappointment. But when disappointment lingers, it becomes something else.
It becomes disillusionment.
Disillusionment is unresolved disappointment when things are not as good as you hoped.
When disillusionment lingers, it settles into the heart. If it stays there, it changes you.
It makes you cynical. You lose trust. You lose hope. Eventually, you disengage. You stop caring—you just get through the day.
Disillusionment is not very noticeable on the surface because it happens inside of you – in your heart. But it has a very powerful, corrosive effect on your life.
Isaiah saw this happening. People stopped caring. They ignored the vulnerable. They shrugged at suffering. They lived for themselves. They took advantage of weaker people to get what they needed.
Isaiah named the sin—but he also saw the deeper wound of disillusionment in people’s hearts.
Our Moment Today
This feels familiar. We began this decade with the pandemic. That was a hard time for everyone.
Those early weeks were hard. An empty sanctuary. Worship through screens. I remember longing to gather again to worship.
At first, everyone hoped things would soon return to normal. But as time passed, that hope faded. Trust eroded. Weariness set in. People became cynical and angry. People stopped caring.
At its root, what we are facing today is a crisis of disillusionment. We see the effects of disillusionment all around us.
Isaiah’s Response: Remember
What did Isaiah do?
He did not deny the problems. He did not ignore the sin. He writes at length about the many sins of the people.
But when all you do is focus on the problems, disillusionment grows. Constant focus on what is broken drains the soul and feeds disillusionment. That’s what all this doomscrolling and algorithms that feed negative news does – it just further fuels disillusionment.
In today’s passage, Isaiah shifts their focus.
He shifts their focus away from the problems of the day. He turns their attention to God.
But Isaiah doesn’t say, “Just focus on God.” He knows how empty that sounds when troubles weigh you down.
When you are going through hard times, when troubles weigh you down, it’s hard to see God. God can feel distant.
Isaiah knew that. So instead, he says:
“I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord.” (Isaiah 63:7)
Look back. Remember.
God’s Presence in the Past
As I prepared for this sermon, I looked back over this past year.
There have been many great, blessed moments. I am so thankful for them. But there were also many struggles.
There were heavy days. There were moments I felt down. There were times when I didn’t know if I could carry on.
Yet somehow, I made it through.
I know the same is true for you. Each of you has faced your own challenges. Those challenges still remain for some of you. Yet here you are.
What carried you?
Isaiah answers:
“It was not a messenger or angel, but his presence that saved them.” (Isaiah 63:8)
It was God Himself.
God was there. God lifted them. God carried them.
Often, it’s only when you look back that you can see God more clearly. When you look back with spiritual eyes, you realize – God never left.
Isaiah is telling the people to shift their focus away from the problems of the present to the God who carried them in the past. He is telling them to remember God.
Remembering as a Practice
After the exile, Israel made remembering a way of life.
Remembering God became a spiritual practice as a community. Every Sabbath. Every festival. Every act of worship.
They told the story again and again of what God had done. It became ritualized and institutionalized as a way of life. Not just when they felt like it.
By remembering what God had done, the God of the past became real in the present.
Remembering the God of the past became faith in God for the present. Faith in the present gave them hope for the future.
That’s what we do when we worship. We remember God.
The troubles of life continue to exist, but remembering God re-orients your focus away from your problems and onto God. That faith becomes your strength for the present day.
During those difficult days of the pandemic, one song that really helped me was “Goodness of God”.
“All my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so, so good, with every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.”
That song was my anchor.
During difficult days, I would remember that God had been faithful. God had carried me through long and dark days before that. And because of that, God would surely carry me in that moment and in the days to come.
At that moment, everything was murky. The future was foggy.
All I had was faith that God was there because he had been there in the past. Somehow, that faith gave me strength. Now, looking back, I can see that God truly was there.
When I hear that song and think about those days, I get tears in my eyes. I remember the hardships, but I also remember the presence of God that carried me.
God was there with me. God was there with many of you.
Speaking with a lot of you, that is your testimony as well. During times of difficulty, everything was foggy. But when you look back, you can see that God was right there.
And knowing that, you have such strong faith in the present.
That is the wonderful discovery of faith that comes from remembering God. Isaiah discovered that precious insight.
When you’re weighed down by your troubles, don’t dwell on them. Recount the gracious deeds of God in the past and trust God in the present.
Looking Ahead
As we step into a new year, the world is still troubled. Our struggles remain. We don’t know what awaits us in 2026.
The world is changing so fast. We don’t know if our problems will get worse or better.
But when troubles weigh you down: don’t succumb to disillusionment. Don’t let the troubles take center stage.
Conclusion
Turn your eyes to God. Remember the gracious deeds of the Lord.
Let that memory strengthen your faith today. Let it give you hope for tomorrow.
The God who carried you through the past is the same God who walks with you into the future.
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