Isa 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I 
will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 

	As we've just come through another Christmas season and we're coming up 
on the New Year, there is a certain significance in the proximity of the two events. 
Though there has been attempts to make "Christmas" just a "holiday", there is 
something about the acknowledgement of Jesus' birthday that brings hope and 
renewed energy to the new year in a way that a mere holiday could never do. Though 
the event of His birth was long ago, the celebration of His birth is always made with a 
focus on Him in the form of a child, not as an adult or ancient being of 2000+ years. 
	When a birthday is normally celebrated, no matter how old the birthday boy 
or girl, the celebration is normally about their length of life and the hope of more, 
rather than a recalling of their infant form. The years attained and the present state 
of the person are given the honor and celebrated instead of the actual day of their 
birth. With Jesus, however, there seems to be a bit of a change from this normality. 
Though there may be reference to His purpose and ultimate sacrifice, the greatest 
focus is on Him is in the manger with the cattle lowing, the shepherds and wise men 
around, and the angels and star above. For some reason with Jesus, instead of 
celebrating His actual age, His birthday celebration is about the real day of His birth. 
It is about the start of a new life of incredible purpose. Even though there is so much 
that this little child lived to accomplish, with Christmas there is a continual reminder 
of His beginning, just like any other, in the simple forming of something new. 
	With this image of infancy still in view, there is the approach of the new year, 
with it's resetting of the calendar to a new number. It is interesting that, while Jesus 
birthday is celebrated with a baby image, the new year is giving emphasis to the 
number of years since His life on earth. It's almost as if the New Year is a celebration 
of His age, in the sense that our birthdays are normally celebrated, while His 
birthday is really bringing emphasis to something that is ever new. Though it would 
be His death and resurrection that would bring completion to His purpose, there was 
something about the simplicity of His arrival alone that brought change and hope to 
a dying world. With the passing of each moment there is progress in time from the 
moment of His first arrival on earth, but the new thing He came to accomplish on 
earth is ever available in the form of an infant, ready to be joined in renewed vision 
of a significant life. Like the calendar, there will also be numbers to account for our 
passing of time in His kingdom, but in us will always be a celebration of the new life 
that is ever recharging and given possibility of incredible potential. Though the path 
awaiting that life may include wilderness and desert, though there may be moments 
of rejection and apparent failure, there is a way promised that will bring completion 
to that life's purpose in an unending river of new life.