23

As we are about to bid goodbye to another year, I thought I would look back and then look way back. We can probably agree that 2022 was a better year than the past few have been. I trust that you found much to be thankful for, including the recent birthday celebration for Emmanuel.

This year my family attended four weddings of two nieces and two nephews along with several others. A nephew in England will tie the proverbial knot next May. I was honored to officiate one of the weddings. Merely attending them is much less stressful. Just a few days ago I returned from a wedding in Arizona. No matter how cheap the airfare is in the future, I will not drive all night from the Cleveland airport again. The Lord kept me awake, but barely. Weddings always serve as reminders of my own vows and challenge me to keep seeking to love my lovely wife well.

We enjoyed our family vacation in Florida this summer. It certainly is a beautiful, busy place. Going there confirmed for me that it is a nice place to visit but I personally would not want to live there. After last weekend, however, I am open to spending future winters there.

My ministry as a hospice chaplain continues to be a blessing and challenge. I love meeting new people and walking alongside them during a difficult season of life. The Christians who are at peace serve as a good example to me. One thing is for sure. People continue to face death. As Christians, we must remember that we are responsible to share the good news before it is too late.

My church resumed Adult Bible Fellowship this year after a COVID-induced hiatus. It was good to gather around the tables and discuss God’s Word and our lives together. I am part of the teaching rotation. It is somewhat strange because I taught teenagers for 28 years. Youth pastor elements still come out of me, even as I teach peers and people older than me.

Speaking of older, only three days into the New Year will bring the biggest event of 2023. This writer will turn 60 years old! I do not have to tell you that time flies. How I feel about the upcoming milestone is hard to say. I do not think it will bother me too much. It is not like I can slow down the clock anyway. I still feel like I am 40. My mind, mirror, and medicine cabinet tell me otherwise. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away (Psalm 90:10).

This year also saw my wife and I experience the empty nest as our youngest son left for college. For the most part, our sons keep in touch pretty well. We miss them; however, the busyness of life has meant we have really not struggled with it just being the two of us at home. There are benefits, including a smaller grocery bill.

Speaking of the cost of groceries, I thought I might look back 100 years even as we look ahead to next year. To buy a new Studebaker in 1923 would set one back about a grand. A men’s mohair suit was under $14. For a woman to purchase a gingham dress, she would need about $3. Do I know what mohair and gingham are? No.

A pound of bacon was a quarter. One dozen eggs cost about 13 cents. A new refrigerator to put them in would have been about $50. A washing machine cost at least twice that much. The average worker earned 65 cents an hour. Life expectancy was 57.

Time Magazine was published for the first time in 1923. Do you remember subscribing to multiple magazines? Trouble was brewing in Germany, led by a man named Adolf Hitler who attempted a coup to bring the Nazi party into power. In Canada, insulin was first used for the first time for those with diabetes. The famous Hollywood sign was erected, although it was originally Hollywoodland. Four Warner brothers established a studio in Hollywood. They had previously founded the Duquesne Amusement Supply Company in Pittsburgh. Two brothers named Roy and Walt started a little business called the Walt Disney Company. In 1923, a great earthquake in Japan claimed over 100,000 lives. The predecessor to the helicopter took its first flight. Calvin Coolidge replaced Warren Harding as president after the sudden death of Harding in August. The first American Track & Field championships for women were held in ’23. The Morrisons Cove Herald was in year 38. I was not writing then.

The poinsettia as we know it was created in 1923 by grafting two other types of poinsettias. Wembley and Yankee stadiums opened. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a record of 87-67 for a third place finish. Coca-Cola invented the six-pack. Firestone started producing inflatable tires. Yes! We Have No Bananas was a popular song. So was the movie The Ten Commandments.

Of course, many famous people were born in 1923. The list includes Hank Williams, Charlton Heston, Bob Barker, James Arness, Henry Kissinger, and Alan Shepard.

Thinking of how life was in 1923 should make us realize several things. Some things have not changed. People are born and they die. Generations continue. Sadly, so do natural disasters and the sin nature. Next year babies will be born who will do great things and become famous in the future. Some will also commit terrible crimes and cause suffering. There will be medical and scientific advances next year. Dictators and unpopular leaders will exist as they did a century ago. People will amuse themselves with entertainment. Most of it will not come from Hollywood but in the palm of their hands in the form of a phone. Families will go to weddings, funerals, birthday parties and Christmas Eve services as they did in 1923. People will compliment and complain.

Many things are different in modern times. Technology comes to mind as being something that has totally changed how we work, play, and even worship and read the Bible. We can expect to live about 20 years longer. Our culture and its standards have changed drastically. Faith still plays a vital role in many lives but not nearly like it used to. More than ever, Christians can expect to be marginalized or ridiculed for their faith. Thankfully the Lord our God does not change (Malachi 3:6). No matter what the New Year brings, we know that things will change. Thankfully, God and the authority and power of scripture will be the same in 2023 as 1923 as 1523. Let us resolve to love God and people more next year. Our times are in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15).