20/20: seeing the new year a new way

20/20: seeing the new year a new way

Fortunately, this isn’t the only 20/20 vision opportunity we get, but since it’s now 2020, or, to be exact, the start of 2020—get it, 20/20 in the year 2020—why not make this a Vision Year? Here, I’m not talking about what you want to see. Rather, I encourage you to see what God wants you to see in your own life.

Take both your blinders and your binders off. Step out of yourself. Imagine for a moment what God wants you to see in the year ahead. Remember, he chose to come to earth as a humble king, not as a powerful political force who won the hearts and minds of all he encountered by conquering them with an army, or by luring them into his glamorous, rich and famous life of luxury, ease and convenience.

If God did this to himself, if he chose a life of service and sacrifice not public splendor and awe, then God’s 20/20 vision for you in the year 2020 may not involve instant career success, a new love life in the form of a dreamboat significant other, or a brand new car like those contestants may win on a TV Game Show.

What does God want you to see?

Maybe we see too much from our own eyes. That may sound a little weird, I know. But maybe it’s time for us to somehow give our eyes to God and let God show us what He wants us to see.
Sight work is always involved when we engage God. For example, during the entire month of December our Old Testament lectionary scripture kept us with the three prophets who wrote under the name of Isaiah. This is perfect Advent text, of course. This sacred text can be so more than that though, especially when we consider the great amount of prophesy and vision work these three different authors invite us to do.

We are called to see what isn’t quite there. In Isaiah 2, we are specifically invited into Isaiah’s vision. I invited my congregation that Sunday (December 1st) to consider the number of times the word ‘will’ was used as a future tense invitation. “The Lord’s house will be raised (verse 2)... He will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths ... his word will go out from Jerusalem (verse 3)... The LORD will mediate between nations and settle international disputes... [the people] will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks (verse 4).”

As Christians, we are not just called to see what is in front of us, we are called to see—and to share—what is beyond us. This long-awaited Messiah came once. He will come again. When we see what our loving, ever-present God wants us to see, when we let him use our eyes to see what he wants us to see, then His Kingdom on earth is ever more present not just to us, but to others.

Let me put it this way. If the Christian only sees what is literally in front of him or her, how far would that get us? We’d quit, right? We’d throw in the towel. Evil? Corruption? Crime? “Life is just too hard,” we’d muse defeatedly.

But with God—and with God through us—life doesn’t have to be hard. It can be better. So much better. Isaiah 11, the text for December 8th, requires from us some of the most powerful vision work. A wolf and a lamb living together, and a leopard lying down with a baby goat (verse 6)? “Yeah,” the secular world scoffs at this outlandish personification. “Like that’s gonna happen.”

But it can happen. More so, it will happen, when we Christians have 20/20 vision during this 2020 year and beyond which enables us to see far past current trials and tribulations, hang ups and hardships. Someone has to see it—to literally see hope, peace, joy and love—before hope, peace, joy and love actually happen. Let it be you. See this new year in a new way—God’s way.