The gloomy year 2024 is coming to an end

Hand on heart—we haven’t experienced a year as dark as 2024 in the Western world for a long time. What on earth was going on? The forces of nature kept people on tenterhooks: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and, unfortunately, wars and cries of pain. Millions of people lost their homes, huge streams of refugees marked the world map and time and again people mourned the loss of relatives and friends. With so much suffering, any optimism fades. The forecasts for the year 2025 look correspondingly gloomy.

In the midst of this hopelessness, Pope Francis proclaimed the year 2025 to be a Holy Year. The Holy Year 2025 in Rome will be held under the motto “Pilgrims of Hope” and speaks directly to the omnipresent hopelessness of people

The idea of “Holy Years” goes back to Pope Boniface VIII, who proclaimed a special pilgrimage year for the year 1300, initially intended only for the Romans. However, the terms “Holy Year” or “Jubilee Year” were not yet used in the bull of convocation, which dates the beginning to February 22, 1300. The rhythm of the Holy Years was subject to fluctuations from the very beginning. Boniface VIII set it at every 100 years, soon followed by changes to an interval of 50 and 33 years. Pope Paul II finally set the rhythm at 25 years in 1470.[1]

Fundamental elements of the Holy Years are the pilgrimage to Rome and passing through the Holy Doors in the four patriarchal basilicas (St. Peter’s Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran). Millions of pilgrims from all over the world are expected in Rome. The Pope and his Curia have expressly addressed all Christians worldwide. Not only Catholics are invited to take part in the pilgrimage of hope.

It does indeed make sense for Christians around the world to respond to the Pope’s call for a clear sign of hope in the world. Of course, this does not have to mean taking part in the Catholic pilgrimage to Rome. And entering the doors of certain churches that have been declared “holy gates” with the promise of receiving a remission of sins seems rather strange, especially for Protestant Christians. But who else in this world should be spreading hope in the world right now, when the world is once again being torn apart at the seams, if not us Christians? And that transcends all denominational boundaries and ritual oddities. After all, the God we Christians serve is a God of hope. Apostle Paul writes to the Romans:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NRSV).

It makes sense and it is worthwhile to speak in the world about God, who is the hope for the world, and to make his closeness clear through word and deed, because this is how we humans are filled with joy and peace in faith again. Rich in hope brings strength in the Holy Spirit!

 

Confidence with God

Those who make a pilgrimage through life close to God still have hope and confidence in the midst of all sadness. Two outstanding examples from German history prove this fact.

One is the famous German Christian poet and pastor Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676). Paul Gerhardt lived during the Thirty Years’ War, experienced several strokes of fate, lost his parents, siblings, several children and his wife, was removed from office by the church in Brandenburg and at times found himself destitute.[2] And yet his more than 120 songs bear witness to a deep confidence, unshakeable faith and hope.[3] The song “Befiel du deine Wege” is an example of this. In a text variant that is common today—which also takes up the underlying Bible verse at the beginning of each verse in italics—it reads:

Command thy ways
and what grieves your heart
To the most faithful care
of him who governs the heavens.
Who gives clouds, air and winds
Gives ways, courses and paths,
He will also find ways
where your foot can go.

You must trust in the Lord,
if it is to be well with you;
You must look to his work,
if your work is to endure.
With sorrow and with grief
and with self-induced pain
God will not be deprived of anything,
it must be asked for.

Your eternal faithfulness and mercy,
O Father, knows and sees,
what is good or harmful
of mortal blood;
and what you then choose,
that you do, strong hero,
and bring to state and being,
what pleases your counsel.

Thou hast a way everywhere,
You have no lack of means;
Your deeds are a blessing,
your walk is full of light;
no one can hinder your work,
your work must not rest,
if you want to do what is
will do what is profitable for your children.

And even if all the devils
would resist here,
yet without doubt
God will not go back;
what he has undertaken
and what he wants to have,
must finally come
to its purpose and goal.

Hope, O poor soul,
hope and be undaunted!
God will bring you out of the cave,
where sorrow plagues you,
with great mercies;
only wait for the time,
and you will see
the sun of the most beautiful joy.

Up, up, give your pain
and sorrows good night,
Let go what makes your heart
sad and sorrowful;
you are not the rain,
who should lead everything,
God is in control
and guides all things well.

Let him, let him do and rule,
he is a wise prince
and will behave in such a way
that you will be amazed,
when he does as he ought,
with marvelous counsel
the work that has troubled you,
that has troubled you.

He will indeed for a while
with his consolation
And do in his part,
As if in his mind
he has taken care of you,
and should you be for ever
in fear and distress,
as if he asked nothing about you.

If, however, it turns out
that you remain faithful to him,
he will deliver thee,
when you least believe it;
he will release your heart
from so heavy a burden,
which thou hast borne to no evil
thou hast borne hitherto.

Blessed are you, child of faithfulness,
you have and carry away
with glory and thanksgiving
the victory and crown of honor;
God himself gives you the palms
into your right hand,
and you sing hymns of joy
to him who has turned your suffering.

Make an end, O Lord, make an end
with all our troubles;
strengthen our feet and hands
and let us until death
us always to your care
and faithfulness,
so our paths will go
will surely lead us to heaven. [4]

A second impressive example is provided by the Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), a member of the Confessing Church and resistance fighter against the Nazi regime in Germany. Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943 and then executed in 1944.[5] Despite being banned from writing and speaking, encouraging texts from his pen have become known. Here I would like to point out the well-known song “Von Guten Mächten” (Of Good Powers), which he wrote in prison in 1944. The lyrics say:[6]

1. Faithfully and quietly surrounded by good powers,
wonderfully protected and comforted,
I want to live these days with you
and go with you into a new year.

2. The old will still torment our hearts,
the heavy burden of evil days still weighs us down.
Oh Lord, give our troubled souls
the salvation for which you have created us.

3. And give us the heavy cup, the bitter cup
of sorrow, filled to the brim,
we take it gratefully without trembling
from your good and beloved hand.

4. But will you give us joy once more
in this world and its sun’s splendor,
then we will remember the past,
and then our life will be all yours.

5. Let the candles burn warm and bright today,
which you brought into our darkness,
bring us together again, if it is possible.
We know that your light shines in the night.

6. When the silence now spreads deep around us
let us hear that full sound
of the world that stretches invisibly around us,
all your children’s high song of praise.

7. Wonderfully sheltered by good powers
we confidently await what may come.
God is with us in the evening and in the morning
and certainly on every new day.

 

Both poets, Paul Gerhardt and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, lived in truly dark times. Humanly speaking, they had little reason for confidence and hope. But they had their faith in God and in this they found a deep source of peace and comforting confidence.

 

Living as a saint in 2025

The Bible calls the followers of Jesus Christ saints (Phil. 4:21 and others). And we are not saints because of our special deeds or certain acts of indulgence, but solely by grace on the basis of faith (Eph. 2:8–9). We do not acquire the status of a saint, but God gives it to us when we make room for it in our hearts. The apostle Peter writes :

But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:14–16, NRSV)

Those who have Christ in their hearts have hope and are prepared to give an account of this hope at all times. In this way, holy behavior and good conduct are recognized and appreciated by the world in the midst of all potential adversity. Seen in this light, 2025 can indeed still be a holy year, because God has opened the gates of his grace wide. We should only enter them willingly.

 

Johannes Reimer recently retired from service with the World Evangelical Alliance.

 

[1] Astrid Schwerhoff: Jubilees and celebrations of joy. Studies on the Catholic Jubilee in the Early Modern Period. Dissertation (Dresden: Technical University 2020).

[2] Gerhard Rödding: Why should I grieve? Paul Gerhardt – Life and poetry in dark times. (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft 2006).

[3] Reinhard Ellsel: You come and make me great. Sermons on songs by Paul Gerhardt. (Bielefeld: Luther-Verlag 2006). See also: Sven Grosse: The spirituality of Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676). In: Peter Zimmerling (ed.): Handbuch Evangelische Spiritualität. Volume 1: History. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 2017).

[4] Text version according to: Evangelisches Gesangbuch. Edition for the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Bavaria and Thuringia. 2nd edition. (Munich: Evangelischer Presseverband für Bayern 1995).

[5] Bonhoeffer’s life has been described in numerous biographies. See here: Wilhelm Landgrebe: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The risk of discipleship. 6th edition. Giessen: Brunnen 1986).

[6] Protestant Hymnal. Edition for the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Bavaria and Thuringia. 2nd edition. (Munich: Evangelischer Presseverband für Bayern 1995). The text version of the Protestant Hymnal is, with a few differences in punctuation, that of Bonhoeffer’s autograph.