God’s Goodness and the End of the Year

by Robert Mohns

God is good always! As the church year draws to a close, we are given the opportunity to reflect deeply on the grace, mercy, and love that God has made known to us throughout the past year.

The Psalmist, alongside other writers of Holy Scripture, often urges the church to give thanks to God, as seen in Psalm 118:1 and 28: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”

In Psalm 105, the thanksgiving of God’s people is directly connected to making His deeds known among all peoples.

The Psalmist looks back on God’s mighty act of saving Israel and ahead with joyful expectation to God’s greatest act of salvation: sending His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. Through Christ’s perfect life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, God redeems the world from slavery to sin, death, and Satan.

The entire church year—from Advent and Christmas to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and the Last Sunday—encircles the mighty acts of God to save His people and continually calls the Christian Church to give thanks. God’s goodness, mercy, and love for His people are never-ending, reaching heights, depths, lengths, and breadths beyond our understanding.

The Psalmist looks back on God’s mighty act of saving Israel and ahead with joyful expectation to God’s greatest act of salvation: sending His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, into the world.

God has revealed His goodness to each of us in Christ Jesus. And not only has He revealed His goodness to us, He has given it to us. God’s goodness is given to us in our baptism into Christ. His goodness comes to us every time we receive Christ’s Body and Blood through Holy Communion.

His goodness is given to us through the preaching of God’s Word by our pastors, and in the words, and works of mercy provided by our deacons and by many others in our congregations. As we reflect on the year now coming to a close, we can say with joy, and joyful expectation of His return: “God is good always! And He is good to me!”

As we pause to consider all that has transpired, let us also remember the many small moments when God’s kindness was evident: times of answered prayer, unexpected blessings, and the gentle assurance of His presence in times of trial. These experiences, whether shared in community or quietly treasured in our hearts, remind us of our continual dependence on His goodness to us. Let us carry this spirit of gratitude and trust into the coming year, confident that God’s goodness remains steadfast and unchanging.

Not only can we say that God is good, we can live out His goodness in our lives in the various vocations and stations of life that God has given to us. It is often said today that what the world needs most are heroes. Media encourages us to focus on heroes, to pin our hopes on them, and even to aspire to heroism ourselves. Scripture, however, directs us toward servanthood.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls His followers away from worldly ideas of greatness and authority, saying: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

The goodness of God is best lived out among us in servanthood.

As the season of Advent arrives, the figure of John the Baptist looms large as one whom the Lord called to prepare the way for the Lord’s appearance. The Lord’s calling of John preceded his birth. His entire life was given over to serve the purpose for which God had called him, even unto death. You and I are not called to be John the Baptist. But each Christian has been called to servanthood. At the Advent of this New Year, I encourage you to make this your focus.

God is good, always! May that goodness of God in Christ Jesus reign in your hearts and minds!

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Rev. Robert Mohns is Lutheran Church–Canada’s West Regional Pastor.

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