December 28th is a strange Sunday. It doesn’t quite feel like a beginning yet, and it doesn’t really feel like an ending either. The Christmas decorations are still up, but the excitement has faded. The calendar is almost full again, but the motivation isn’t. Most of us are standing in that awkward space between reflection and resolve—looking back at what was, while quietly wondering what’s next.
It’s interesting, because we’ve either said it ourselves or heard someone else say it: Next year will be different. I’ll start fresh in January. After the holidays… We use those phrases as placeholders for change, hoping that time itself will do the work for us. But here’s the truth we don’t like to admit: time doesn’t change us—intentionality does. Time can reveal things, but it doesn’t transform things. Only intentional, obedient steps do that.
We convince ourselves with statements like, Over time I will, or When the time is right I will, or even, This just doesn’t feel like the right season. And before we realize it, we look up and wonder why others seem to be moving forward while we feel stuck. It’s not comparison—it’s recognition. We’re recognizing how real change actually takes place. Growth isn’t accidental; it’s always intentional.
A New Calendar Won’t Fix Old Patterns
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And if we’re not careful, 2026 will look an awful lot like 2025—just with new calendars, new stressors, and the same patterns. So today isn’t about beating ourselves up, and it’s not about pretending this year was perfect either. This isn’t a guilt trip, and it’s not a victory lap. Reflection without honesty leads to nostalgia, but reflection with honesty leads to growth.
Today is about asking better questions, because the quality of our future is often determined by the quality of the questions we are willing to face. Throughout 2025, we walked through several series together—different books, different themes, different seasons—but underneath all of them was the same invitation from God. It was an invitation to trust Him more deeply, to follow Him more intentionally, and to live like this actually matters. God wasn’t just shaping sermons this year; He was shaping us.
Over the past few years, I’ve started doing a highlight reel at the end of the year—a reminder of the sermon series and the memory verses we’ve walked through together. I do this because so often we reach the end of the year and honestly wonder what we’ve been doing all along. Fifty-two weeks of sermons, deep thoughts, challenging moments, some light, some heavy—and it’s easy to forget the moments that stirred something in us. The moments that challenged us to change, to obey, to trust God in a new way. What God speaks in a moment can shape a lifetime, if we make the commitment to remember it.
I started doing this because I realized how important it is to review what has been done—not out of bragging rights, but out of spiritual awareness. Reflection helps us see patterns. It reveals growth. It exposes drift. So instead of just reviewing sermons today, I want us to review ourselves. Not with guilt, not with shame, but with honesty and with hope. Honest reflection is not condemnation; it’s preparation.
So while this morning may feel a little different, my hope is that it will be deeply impactful in the space between now and the final days of 2025. I want to guide us with nine questions—questions that will help us walk back through this year, revisit the sermon series and memory verses, and most importantly, help us step forward with clarity and momentum into 2026. Because God doesn’t waste years—and He doesn’t waste willing hearts.
“What could you prioritize in these remaining days that could give you a head start in 2026?”
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV
What We Prioritize Reveals What We Trust
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“What is the current cost of your inaction?”
Acts 1:7-8 NKJV
The Holy Spirit was Given for Movement, Not Maintenance
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“What would a wise leader or mentor remove from your life in 2026?”
Matthew 12:36-37 NKJV
God May Be Removing What We Have Learned to Tolerate
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“Are your habits aligned with your hopes?”
Ephesians 5:1–2 NKJV
Holy Habits Create Holy Outcomes
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“Have you been moving forward, or have you become better at staying busy?”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Busyness Feels Productive Until Exhaustion Takes Over
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“If 2025 repeated five times in a row, would you be grateful or grieved?”
God Is Interested in Refining Hearts, Not Recycling Years
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“What are you holding onto that God has asked you to release?”
God Doesn’t Bless What We Refuse to Release
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“What are you anchored to when everything begins to shift?”
Luke 2:10-11 NKJV
What We Anchor Ourselves to Will Shape Our Stability
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“What single change would create the greatest ripple in 2026?”
One Area Surrendered to God Can Unlock Momentum Everywhere Else in Your Life
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As we close, I don’t want you thinking about resolutions. I want you to think about responsiveness. Because resolutions focus on what we intend to do, while responsiveness focuses on what we are willing to do. And the truth is, God has already spoken this year—through His Word, through His Spirit, through moments you couldn’t ignore and questions that wouldn’t let you off the hook. God doesn’t repeat Himself because He forgot; He repeats Himself because we haven’t responded yet.
After walking through these nine questions, the real issue isn’t clarity. It’s courage. The question is not, “What will I try in 2026?” but, “What will I finally trust God with?” What will you prioritize? What step of obedience will you stop postponing? What needs to be eliminated? Where do your habits need to align? Where have you been busy but not fruitful? What are you ready to release? What will you anchor to that never changes? And what is the one thing God keeps bringing back to the surface of your heart?
It is Not About Starting Over, It Is About Starting Stronger
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As we step into a new year, hear this clearly: you are not behind. You are not disqualified. And you are not starting from scratch. You are starting from experience. And experience, when surrendered to God, becomes wisdom. God is not asking you to relive the past—He is inviting you to redeem it.
So don’t carry 2025 into 2026 unchanged. Carry the lessons. Carry the clarity. Carry the calling. Because God is faithful to use everything you’ve walked through—if you are willing to move forward with Him. The next step doesn’t require perfection; it requires obedience.
And my prayer for you, for your family, and for our church is simple: that we wouldn’t just close out a year—we would step into a new one with faith, focus, and a renewed willingness to trust God with what matters most.