New Year’s Eve gives us an opportunity, says Rev. Zack Dunlap, to embrace the now-and-not-yet reality of this thin space and step forward in faith into what God has in store for us in 2026.
REV. ZACK DUNLAP
Pastor of Strategic Initiatives, Birmingham and Berkley First UMC
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).
People fear what they do not know. This is not inherently evil; it’s a survival mechanism inherited from our ancestors, a basic human instinct. Yet as followers of Christ, we are invited to live faithfully amid our fears and, when possible, to set aside our anxieties and meet the unknown with curiosity, intentionality, and hope.
Less than a week ago, the weary world rejoiced over the birth of the Christ child. Now, with Christ, we embark on a journey of unknowns. What will 2026 have in store — for you, for your family, for this beautiful yet broken world?
We sit together in what Celtic Christians might call a “thin space,” where the veil between heaven and earth is thin, the space between what has been and what is yet to be. As Christians, we thrive in thin spaces. The same Jesus who said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” also said, “The kingdom of heaven has come near,” and “The kingdom of God is among you.” We are a now-and-not-yet kind of people.
Can there be peace on earth? Yes. Do we live that peace fully here and now? Clearly not. Has reconciliation already been accomplished through Jesus Christ? Yes. Are we waiting for Jesus to return in final victory as our Prince of Peace? Yes. Do we wait, sitting on our hands? No. We have work to do. Herein lies the now-and-not-yet reality of our faith.
Each year comes and goes faster than the one before it. When you are little, a week or a month may seem like an eternity. As we mature, that changes. In a 2013 interview with “60 Minutes,” Dame Maggie Smith said, “The awful thing about getting old is that you have breakfast every half hour.”
Whether it has been quick or slow in coming, the now-and-not-yet thin space of New Year’s Eve presents us with an opportunity. We can meet it with fear, apathy, or anxiety, or we can acknowledge those realities and take a step forward into what God might have in store.
At least in your little corner of the world, whether the start of 2026 marks a significant turning point, a simple continuation, or an escalation is, in many ways, up to you. Choose for yourself this day what you will make of it. What is God calling you to carry forward into the new year, and what would you rather leave behind in 2025? Go ahead and take a moment to think on that. You don’t even have to finish this devotional.
Still here?
Whenever I face a set of unknowns, I like to list the variables, possibilities, and opportunities. Then I make a list — usually just internally — of the knowns. Whatever you or your church are going through, whatever you choose to carry forward or leave behind, we know that God is love. We know that God is with us. We know that, unbound by time or space, God is already awaiting us in the new year, ready to guide, convict, encourage, equip, and lead.
“So do not fear,” God says through the prophet Isaiah, “for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
New Year’s Eve is not an inherently Christian holiday. Yet it is a reminder that every end brings a new beginning. As a follower of the risen Jesus Christ, I cannot think of anything more Christian than that. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
We’re about to experience that reality together. How true will it be for you? If you are in Christ, you have nothing to fear. Rest in the reality of God’s presence, and then, from that place of rest, work to bring God’s reign of justice, peace, and love to your corner of the world.
Perhaps you have yet to experience that new creation. Perhaps, after years of worship services and Bible studies, you know a lot about Jesus but do not actually know him. If that’s you, talk with your pastor or a trusted friend about what it looks like to know Jesus in a way that empowers you to face the unknowns of this life and the next.
And then, without fear, we can step curiously, intentionally, and full of hope into 2026, knowing, as John Wesley wrote, “The best of all is, God is with us.”
Last Updated on December 22, 2025