I am sometimes unclear about when to stop saying ‘happy new year’. Last year someone told me, at the end of January it is best to stop this seasonable compliment.
Two different Greek words exist for the English word new. Neos refers to something that has recently come into existence, such as a new year. It hadn’t existed before and is brand-new. Kainos speaks of something being renewed rather than brand-new. It contains the idea that there was something “before” that is now coming into the fullness of its true reality.
It is kainos that raises the concept of “new” to a different level, for example to describe or create the future. In each case, the idea of “new” is that it’s something that previously existed and is now being recreated and restored so that it can be all it was meant to be.
Living out this new future is possible by the goals, targets and purpose we set out before us. At the end of 2015, what is it that we would have liked to happen? What is it that we no longer wish for? It is encouraging that we can do new things, but we can also achieve significant improvements by refreshing or reviving what we already have or hold. For you what falls into this category?
