New Year’s Resolutions and Lasting Change

Reflections from the Moore College Archives – News Year’s Resolutions

As we step into 2026, it is natural to think about change; about what we hope will be different, more faithful, or more shaped by Christ in the year ahead. The Moore College Archives hold a rich collection of sermons and talks on New Year’s resolutions, reminding us that this is not a modern concern, nor one to be approached lightly.

Across these reflections from Christmas sermons that expose our loves and priorities to New Year messages calling for renewed obedience, prayer, and trust, a consistent theme emerges. At its root, the word Resolution comes from the Latin resolutio, meaning to loosen, release, or settle. In everyday use, especially with New Year’s resolutions, it refers to a commitment to change behaviour, habits, or priorities.

In a Christian sense, a resolution is not merely an act of willpower, but a settled intention to live faithfully in response to God’s grace, depending on him rather than on self-effort alone. Christian resolutions are not just about self-improvement, but about reorienting our lives toward Christ.

In a series of talks and sermon texts from the Moore Digital Archives, voices from across generations, including T.C. Hammond, D.B. Knox, Luke Tattersall and Jodie McNeill, challenge us to ask better questions.

Not simply, what will I do differently this year? But, who will I trust? What will shape my desires? Where is God calling me to repentance, faithfulness, and service? 

They remind us that lasting change is not sustained by willpower or resolve, but by grace, as we return again to God’s word, prayer, and the light of Christ.

As 2026 begins, these sermons help steady our perspective. They encourage resolutions that are humble rather than heroic, dependent rather than self-assured, and grounded in the gospel rather than fleeting motivation.

We invite you to explore these reflections from the Moore College Digital Archives and let them prompt prayerful consideration as you enter the year ahead, trusting that the God who has been faithful in years past will continue his good work in us in 2026.

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We are delighted to welcome Jack Day to Moore College as a Faculty member in the Old Testament Department.

A Moore graduate, Jack is returning to College while completing his PhD in Old Testament at the University of Cambridge. He brings with him both academic depth and pastoral experience, and a deep desire to help students trust and treasure God’s word.

As he settles into life at Moore, he is especially looking forward to meeting students and their families, sharing life together, and becoming part of the College community as we prepare together to share Jesus Christ.

For Jack, teaching the Old Testament is not simply about mastering information. “It’s about helping students see Scripture clearly, deeply, and faithfully,” he says. That clarity comes through close attention to the biblical text, careful engagement with the original languages, and walking alongside students as they grow in confidence in handling Scripture. Jack is passionate about helping students discover that the Old Testament is not distant or intimidating, but central to understanding God’s purposes.

One of Jack’s particular passions is Hebrew, and he is excited to share it with his students. “Learning Hebrew requires a lot of effort, but it is gratifying, you get to see God’s word in full colour, 4K!” While our English Bible translations are faithful and reliable, Jack enjoys helping students see how reading the Old Testament in its original language opens up nuance that is not always easily communicated in translation. This is especially true in poetry and prophetic texts, where structure, wordplay, and emphasis carry meaning in rich and subtle ways. Although Hebrew can feel unfamiliar at first, Jack believes that is precisely what makes it so rewarding to learn.

Hebrew is also taught differently today than when Jack was a student. Rather than focusing primarily on memorisation and verb tables, the current approach reflects broader changes in language education. Students are immersed in the language, hear it used, and are encouraged to read authentic biblical texts in a more natural learning environment. Jack loves this way of teaching, where language learning is closely integrated with careful reading of Scripture and students gain fluency more quickly.

Alongside his teaching, Jack’s doctoral research continues to shape his work at College. In Cambridge, he has been researching military deception in the historical books of the Former Prophets, from Joshua through to Kings. His research and teaching share the same goal: equipping students to handle God’s word carefully and confidently in preaching, teaching, and ministry.

Jack and his family have recently moved from living around five miles outside Cambridge on a rural property, where open skies and farmland shaped daily life. Newtown living is quite a contrast, but for Jack, who lived in Newtown during his student days at Moore, mostly on Little Queen Street, there is a familiar sense of coming home.

Ultimately, for Jack, studying the Old Testament is not about academic achievement for its own sake. It is about helping students see God’s word with greater depth, colour, and richness, so they are well prepared to serve Christ and his church. As Jack puts it, “When students engage closely with the Old Testament, it’s like seeing God’s word in full colour.”

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Our final alumni reunion for 2025 brought together the 2005-2008 cohort, with 55 graduates gathering – some travelling from as far as Brisbane, Melbourne and Tasmania. These alumni now serve across a wide range of ministries, including churches, universities, mission organisations, parachurch ministries, and navy and aged care chaplaincy. It was a wet and windy day, but the warmth and enduring friendships of the group made up for the general sogginess after the College tour! 

Our reunions give graduates an opportunity to be refreshed and encouraged, hearing how God has been faithful to their peers as they persevere in serving him. It was encouraging to hear that that was the experience of at least one of the delegates from the 2005-2008 reunion: 

“After 20 years, it was so good to see that even though some of us have grey or white hairs, some of us have adult kids and some of us have struggled with some very, very difficult things in the interim, so many of us are still following Jesus and committed to the work of building his kingdom. I came away from the day very encouraged. Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years for us to get together again!”  

Moore aims to be your College for life, fostering enduring connections between graduates and providing resources, further study options and partnership in training the next generation of gospel workers.  The influence and encouragement of a graduate remains the single most significant factor in someone choosing to study at Moore. Our alumni continue to play a crucial part in God’s answer to the prayer that he would send more workers into his harvest field. 

Are you in a College cohort celebrating a significant milestone in 2026? Please contact us at [email protected] if you’d be interested in us hosting your reunion. 

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