Intending to Be More Christ-like in 2019

Reflection by Matt King

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions this year? Broken any of them yet? Sworn off resolutions altogether?

Keeping resolutions for an entire year, or attempting to achieve yearlong goals can be daunting. If you don’t reach your goal by the end of the year, it may simply make you feel more demoralized than ever, like things will never really get better. If you resolve to do something every day, but find that there is even one day you can’t keep up the pace, then what motivation do you have for trying again the next day if you already missed your goal?

Resolutions can be intimidating. Goals can be motivating for some, but disheartening for others. Still we all know that we can and should work to improve ourselves. We can always do better. Maybe that is why I have heard some people shifting their focus from resolutions and goals to intentions this year. Maybe it’s the idea that setting an intention for the day, the month, the week, or the year feels like it takes some of the pressure off. I can intend to exercise more this year, and simply by getting in a few more workouts than I did last year I have succeeded. Where as, if I say I’m going exercise every day, the first time I miss a day it feels like the entire year’s effort is already down the drain. Intentions may just feel less oppressive, while still helping us maintain focus.

Personally, I think the idea of intentions over resolutions speaks more clearly to a spiritual mindset. Like a yogi setting an intention for their practice as they approach the mat, the idea of an intention for my day, or even my year, seems to put me in a mindset that helps me understand, not only what I want to achieve, but that makes me more aware of what is going on around me or in me as well. It helps me see the connections of every aspect of my life and everything I do in helping me be more of whatever it is I intend to be.

Intentions also make me more aware of the fact that life, especially the Christian life as we understand it, is a journey spent each day walking with Christ. We have the opportunity each morning to set an intention of walking closer to Christ, loving others more like Christ, embracing God’s will for our lives more like Christ. For me, this seems to acknowledge the fact that we are never fully finished with this journey until our final breath. We will never reach a goal of becoming as Christ-like as we possibly can. We can always be more Christ-like, so I can set that intention each day.

Does setting an intention like this make me any less accountable to what I set out to do? No, not really. It simply reminds me that, through God’s grace, no matter how much I failed today, I am given the opportunity to try again tomorrow.

Setting the daily intention to be more Christ-like also spills over into the other intentions I have for the year like no other resolution or goal could. If I intend to be more Christ-like, naturally I will need to spend more time in reflection, study, prayer, and worship. Those are always good. If I set an intention to be more Christ-like, the more successful I am, the more patient and loving a father I will be. I will be a more caring husband, and a more compassionate person toward my coworkers and anyone I meet on the street.

Perhaps we can set an intention to be a more Christ-like community of faith in 2019 as well. Perhaps we can set an intention that every time we gather for worship we will be as welcoming as we can possibly be. We will offer hospitality to anyone who joins us. We will be more clearly the presence of Christ in our community throughout the year than we were last year.

Call it an intention, a resolution, a goal, or whatever, I am issuing a challenge to our congregation that I pray will carry us throughout the year. I challenge all of us to collectively spend 2,019 hours in service to the community outside the church walls in 2019. We know that we always do a good job collecting canned goods, coats, and school supplies. We also do a great job of supporting our ministry partners financially through our offerings throughout the year. Those things will always be important. This year, however, let’s set an intention of actually going out and being the presence of Christ in the world by serving those around us who need us.

2,019 hours. It may sound daunting, but you may be surprised at how quickly our hours add up. If only 100 people from our community of faith set this intention and participate with us, then each person will only need to log 20.19 hours of service this year. We are planning missions opportunities for one Wednesday per month. Join us, and that will be 1-1.5 hours a night for an easy 12-18 hours. Some people mentor or tutor for 30 minutes per week in the schools. They would get their hours in no time. We are taking a mission trip to serve the Appalachian region in August. If we consider that those participants will work 8 hours per day, not including the days we travel, that group will knock their hours out in one week.

Feel like you can’t get out and do active service or ministry with and for your neighbors? Write notes of encouragement to our homebound, or our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other first responders. That will take some hours. We’ll give you 1 hour for going to purchase coats, and 1 hour for backpacks during our annual emphases. We’ll give you 1/4 hour for canned food donations to Samaritan house (you were going to the grocery store anyway). Provide a meal or stay with the Interfaith Hospitality Network? Log your time. We’ll count it. Sit on the board of a nonprofit? Let us know your role and how you are having an impact, and we’ll consider it.

This is something that we can do together with groups from the church. It is something we can do as individuals. It is something we can do with all members of our family. If we set this intention and work toward living it out together, imagine the demonstrable impact our congregation will have on those around us throughout the year.

Share your hours and activities with us. Send us photos of your family serving as a Christ-like presence in someone’s life. We will celebrate our work together each quarter.

Let’s set an intention to be the presence of Christ in the world together. We will serve together, even when we aren’t together. We will impact lives together. We’ll bear witness to God’s kingdom together. We will all be formed more fully into the image of Christ together. What greater intention could we set for the year ahead?