After the children became teenagers, my wife started uploading our family schedule to Google Calendar. Since then, whenever I ask her about the family schedule, I receive the same sharp response every time: "Check Google Calendar!" Given my discomfort with online scheduling, I realize I belong to the analog generation. I record all our schedules in pen on a desk calendar. I took a look at the 2020 calendar, and every page is densely filled with appointments: January 19-21 (college visit), February 15 (WY comes to our house), March 12 (Pandemic declared by WHO), April 7 (Omani's 90th birthday), May 12 (dentist), June 20 (Tim's wedding), July 27 (father-in-law in the hospital), August 29 (car pick up), September 11 (Zoom parents' orientation for LU), October 10 (M&I manuscript), November 5 (DMV with Rachel), December 31 (New Year's Eve Zoom)... Like any other year, there were many events. However, it was a year when an invisible virus swept away all other records like a tsunami. Sadly, some people I know have passed away due to COVID-19. Others are anxiously wondering how long unemployment benefits will last after losing their jobs. Even those who haven't lost their jobs go to work every day with a sense of unease about how long they will be able to continue working. My eldest child, who became a college student last fall and is taking online classes, is already worried about graduating without ever having seen the campus. This year, for the first time in my life, it feels difficult to say the usual New Year's greetings, "Happy New Year! Wishing you lots of blessings in the new year." Will 2021 truly be a Happy New Year filled with blessings as we hope?

A few years ago, an article titled "The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior" was published in the journal Management Science. To put it in my own words, it discusses the "Fresh Start Effect: how specific time points can inspire people to pursue their big dreams." The main point of the article is that people generally feel a desire to achieve their goals at certain special moments. For example, on New Year's Day, people often set New Year's resolutions or goals they want to achieve. This phenomenon occurs not only on the first day of the lunar new year but also at the beginning of each month, every Monday, at the start of a new semester, or even on personal milestones like birthdays or vacations. According to the research, terms like "diet," "gym visits," and "goal achievement" see a surge in Google searches during these specific times. It reflects a tendency to forget past failures or difficulties and to seek a fresh start through these moments. With COVID-19 still exerting its influence, can we, as we welcome the New Year of 2021, truly set aside our difficult memories and embrace new dreams to begin again?

There is a music program called "Begin Again." It features famous Korean musicians who go abroad to perform street busking. Let's take a look at a description of Season 1 of Begin Again. The beloved Korean singers 'Lee Sora,' 'Yoo Hee-yeol,' and 'Yoon Do-hyun' travel to a foreign country where no one knows them and take on the challenge of busking! The audience consists of passersby, and the stage is the street! What kind of performances will emerge from this setting? It may seem like a ridiculous challenge, but through this experience, they aim to revisit the passion they had forgotten and awaken the deep-seated enthusiasm within them. Whether the atmosphere is cold or enthusiastic, they capture the audience's reactions as they are, without any forced setups! A special journey begins, where they communicate and resonate solely through music. Will my song resonate even in a foreign land?

While they are famous singers in Korea, street busking in a foreign country where no one recognizes them seems quite reckless. However, I believe the biggest beneficiaries of this program are the musicians themselves. Performing in front of foreigners who have no preconceived notions or prior knowledge about them likely brings back memories of their difficult, nameless days. If they can experience a moment of revisiting their original intentions and reigniting their hidden passions, that would be invaluable.

Two thousand years ago, in the small ancient Near Eastern country of Israel, a carpenter from a rural fishing village gathered disciples and gained remarkable national recognition through his public activities. After three years, when the teacher suggested going to the capital, Jerusalem, the disciples began to feel excited. However, deep down, they were likely more focused on the rewards they would finally receive for following him for three years than on what their teacher envisioned. The teacher constantly taught them that his life was "not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Yet, the disciples did not heed his words. One disciple betrayed him in disappointment, and the others scattered in fear when the teacher walked the path to the cross. Their dreams were shattered by the seemingly powerless death of their teacher.

Before his death, the teacher made a promise to his disciples: "Let's meet again in Galilee after three days." Galilee was the rural village where they had first met their teacher three years prior. True to his astonishing prophecy, he resurrected from death and met them again. Why did he want to meet the failed disciples in the place where they first encountered him? It was to return to their original intentions, reset everything, and begin again. Although they had been caught up in their vain desires and everything had ended in failure, the disciples who met their resurrected teacher in Galilee were able to start anew. After that, they served the world from humble places, eventually all coming to be with their teacher. Their new service became a catalyst for rewriting the history of the world.

The New Year of 2021 has dawned. Many unresolved worries from last year remain. The dreams and plans I had at the beginning of 2020 are nowhere to be found. Will it truly be a Happy New Year? I also want to meet my teacher again. I plan to go to the place where I first met him. Anyone who meets him can begin again. I hope many people will experience an eternal Happy New Life beyond the fleeting sparkle of a Happy New Year.

Written by Pastor Joon-kyu Kwon
• Manhattan GCC (Gospel Centered Church)
• https://www.facebook.com/Gospelcenteredchurch
• https://www.gcc-nyc.org