We all jumped on board this anti-2016 bandwagon; the year has become an easy scapegoat for many of our ills. It encourages a kind of distance from the real action within the year, as if by pinning all the blame for a lousy year on the calendar, we abdicate responsibility.
Didn’t have a good year at work? 2016! Relationship breakdown? 2016! Lost your house keys? 2016! It’s as if we’ve convinced ourselves that nothing bad ever happened before 2016, or that at least upsetting events in the past were a bit more spread out. As per usual, we’re suffering from nostalgia which paints everything as better ‘back in our day’. But folks, on one day in 1963, President Kennedy, CS Lewis and Aldous Huxley all died - just imagine the tweets back then! “1963 is the worst.” “Eugh, I hate 1963.” “Roll on 1964!”
I guess what I’m saying is that it’s very odd that we surmise our feelings about an (arbitrary) period of time by what happened to be in the news at that time. We might be gutted (or not) about Brexit; we might be struggling to come to terms with what a Donald Trump presidency means; we might be watching The Two Ronnies’ ‘four candles’ sketch on repeat to convince ourselves that Ronnie Corbett is still going… but that isn’t the be all and end all of 2016. For a start, there’s also been plenty of funny news in 2016. Manchester United had to postpone a game, once everyone had already arrived, because someone had left a fake bomb behind at the previous day’s training exercise. Inconvenient for spectators? Yes. Excellent fun for everyone else? Absolutely.
But just forget the news for a second - why do we place so much stock in these worldwide phenomena that, to this point, are yet to have a huge impact? This isn’t an attempt to downplay the very real fear and uncertainty created by the year’s big political upheavals, but is that really what we’ll remember from this year? Has the over-connection the internet offers led to such saturation in the zeitgeist of the news cycle that we live vicariously through what ever our Twitter feeds are upset about?
Obviously, obviously, the news is full of negative stories - that’s how it works. But let’s not get ground down by them; if you take the news’ view on a year, every year will feel as crushing as 2016. Every morning will be started with stark warnings from front pages designed to raise anxiety. I don’t think this is the world most of us, our young people and our children live in. But I do think that the more this ‘2016 is bad’ opinion is propagated, the more the idea that world events have a profound impact on their lives will seep into their consciousness.
Between mental health issues, exam stress and more sexual pressure than ever before, 2016 will have been a tough year for many of our young people. But let’s not crush them with the weight of the world and the fear created by alarmist headlines. So consider this a call to arms; let’s not talk about a vague, esoteric hatred of 2016. Let’s celebrate the good in 2016. Many of us will have seen God at work among our children and young people in amazing ways. I got married in 2016, that’s what I’ll remember this year for. For many of those we work with, 2016 will have been a year of big transitions, exam results and exciting birthdays. Let’s encourage those we work with to celebrate 2016, rather than rejoice that it’s over. Let’s get excited about their big moments and share our own milestones.
But at the same time, let’s raise up a generation who fight for what they believe in. If you, and those you work with, are angry about 2016, do something about it. If you worry about the long-term environmental impact of a Donald Trump presidency, find ways to ‘green-up’ your youth and children’s ministry. If you feel your community is more divided post-Brexit, find creative ways to bring about restoration. If you’re gutted about David Bowie, introduce your young people to him and create a new generation of fans. The danger of blaming everything on 2016 is that we drown in our own self-pity. In the incarnation of Jesus, we see the creator of the universe getting his hands dirty and doing something about the mess the world has got itself in. 2016 has felt like a mess at times, but our ministry is often at its best when it gets its hands dirty.
Let’s not put 2016 on some miserable pedestal. Let’s celebrate the good, genuinely mourn the bad, but be fired up to do something about it. Let’s remind our young people and children that our hope doesn’t lie in headlines and Twitter trends, but in the bigger story that Christ invites us into, one that transcends any given, terrible, year.
Let’s not crush young people with the fear created by alarmist headlines
Let’s not put 2016 on some miserable pedestal. Let’s celebrate the good, genuinely mourn the bad, but be fired up to do something about it. Let’s remind our young people and children that our hope doesn’t lie in headlines and Twitter trends, but in the bigger story that Christ invites us into, one that transcends any given, terrible, year.
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