As a new year begins, many anticipate great change and have much hope for what the coming year will bring. Others are concerned about various threats from global warming to terrorism.

But, as Solomon said so many years ago and Shakespeare echoed, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl 1:9 NIV). It's not that changes won't come or that there's no hope, but life is cyclical and the worries of today are like the worries of yesterday.