new year
Compelled by the Gospel
By Linda Rex
February 4, 2024, 5th Sunday in Epiphany—I’ve always been fascinated by the story of the apostle Paul. I’ve often wondered how often he heard Jesus preach and whether he was one of the people who tried to trap Jesus with questions and sought to have him killed before his crucifixion. The profound change which occurred in Paul’s life when he encountered the risen Lord years later is remarkable and seems almost impossible. And still, it is beautiful to witness such a tremendous change in a person’s life when it does happen.
Paul’s experience of the living, resurrected Jesus was so life-altering that he began to preach the gospel he formerly had rejected. And he joined himself gladly to the group he formerly had persecuted and put in prison. He felt no shame in declaring that Jesus Christ was Lord of all, and that it was necessary to repent and be baptized in his name.
In fact, in the passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 9:16–23, we find the apostle Paul declaring that he felt compelled to preach this gospel. The Mirror Bible has Paul saying, “this Gospel has my arm twisted and locked behind my back!” He could not be silent about what had so dramatically changed the direction of his life. And he got great satisfaction in preaching this good news at no cost to the people he served. Rather, he made himself a servant to them, adjusting himself to the needs and preferences of those around him, within the limits of his Christ-life, so that he could win new converts to Christ.
I find this passage to be challenging at times, for I wonder how well I myself have responded to the calling God has given me to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul calls this good news we have been given a stewardship—a responsibility for the sake of the one to whom this good news belongs. In other words, do I recall daily that my focus needs to be serving Jesus Christ and sharing his good news with others? This isn’t just because I happen to have a master’s degree in pastoral studies, but because I have been given God’s grace and am made a participant in Christ by grace through faith. Every one of us has been given this gift—but do we share it with others?
Every one of us who has come to faith in Christ has been given the blessing and gift of the good news of Jesus. So, in that sense, we each have a stewardship of the gospel. We are made stewards of the good news of Jesus Christ, and Paul encourages us by his example to do whatever is necessary so that we can share this good news with others in such a way that they are able to understand it, experience it, and believe it. This is done through both word and deed, and as Paul demonstrates, involves meeting people where they are to bring them along with us into the embrace of the Father through Jesus in the Spirit.
I’m learning that it is easy to get wrapped up in my personal preferences when it comes to living out the gospel as I understand it. It is easy to get so locked into a particular belief system that I don’t make room for someone who is struggling, or who has been wounded, or who simply needs to experience the love of God in Christ through my words and actions.
Historically, I was taught as a child to not be involved with people who weren’t a part of my fellowship. In fact, I was taught to see them with suspicion and to hold them at arm’s length. I find that today I have to pray fervently for God to tear down these walls and do the necessary work to bring me into relationship with people so that I can share the good news with them and show them God’s love. Thankfully, God is always faithful to enable us to reach out with his love and grace when we seek his empowerment and guidance. He goes ahead of us and provides divine appointments in which to do this. I truly appreciated Dan Roger’s recent sermon on this topic—I encourage you to watch it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YOWpITjaRo).
Our challenge in this new year as those who follow Christ is to participate with Jesus in what he is doing today to share the good news with every person in the world. What is Jesus up to and how can we join in? Perhaps this is something we can begin to make a part of our everyday prayer life, as we listen to the Lord and seek to follow the lead of his Spirit. I would be interested in hearing from you about ways in which the Lord enabled you personally to participate in his ongoing ministry of sharing the good news with others.
Heavenly Father, thank you for including us in your life and love, through your Son Jesus Christ and in the Spirit. Lord Jesus, who would you like me to share this good news with today? How would you have me love and serve this person, these people, you have brought me into relationship with? Grant me the grace to love courageously, serve humbly, and speak boldly the words of life, in your name, empowered by your Spirit. Amen.
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” 1 Corinthians 9:16–23 NASB
“I live to preach; it consumes my total being. Your money is not going to make any difference since this Gospel has my arm twisted and locked behind my back! In fact, my life would be reduced to utter misery if it were not possible for me to preach the good news! If this was a mere career choice, then surely you could hire or fire me! But I am not for sale; I am employed by the economy of persuasion! So what’s in it for me, you may ask? The pleasure of declaring the Gospel of Christ at no expense is priceless! No, I am not cheating anyone or myself by foregoing the rights I might have as a preacher. So in a sense I am free from everyone’s expectation or management; yet I have voluntarily enslaved myself to all people. This beats any other motivation to influence people. I am like a Jew to the Jew to win them; I am disguised as a legalist to win those stuck under the law! To the Gentiles who have no regard for Jewish sentiment, I became like one without any obligation to Jewish laws to win them! Don’t get me wrong; I am not sinning to identify with the sinners! I am in the law of Christ! I am so persuaded about every person’s inclusion in Christ that I desire to be everything I need to be in order to win everyone’s understanding of their union with Christ. I do not present myself as super strong to the weak, but rather expose myself to their weakness in order to win them. I do not distance myself from anyone. My mission is to be exactly what is required of me in every possible situation to bring salvation to every kind of person, whoever they are! The gospel explains my lifestyle; it is so much more than a pulpit ministry to me. My life is inseparably joined to you in the fellowship of the good news!” 1 Corinthians 9:16–23 Mirror Bible
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.” Mark 1:35–39 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitcompelled-by-the-gospel.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Keeping a Kingdom Perspective
By Linda Rex
January 21, 2024, 3rd Sunday | Epiphany—One of the lessons I am learning through my ongoing battle with malignant melanoma is to accept every new day as a gift from God, and to be thankful for the little blessings that come my way in the midst of whatever struggles I might be facing. Recognizing and accepting the fragility and temporality of life enables me to be grateful for the simple pleasures I have in the past so often taken for granted.
The apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 7:29–31, our passage for this Sunday, that it is important to keep this perspective throughout our lives, in every area of our lives—in marriage, in how we handle loss, in our actions in the marketplace, and in our involvement in our society and culture. We live, he writes, as though this is all coming at any moment to an abrupt end, and so we do not set our hearts on what we own, what we feel, what we experience, what we buy or sell, but on Christ alone.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, Mark 1:14–20, we are given a glimpse of what this might look like. Here, as these four men are busy occupied with their everyday tasks of life, they encounter Jesus Christ, who invites them to follow him. Their response is immediate and dramatic in Mark’s account—they drop everything, leave behind their families and businesses in order to join Jesus in his ministry to proclaim the present reality of the kingdom of God, calling people to repent and believe in the gospel. When you think of the tight-knit social context in which these men lived and what they were turning their backs on when they begin to follow Jesus, you begin to see the profound change they were experiencing—one that impacted every relationship in their lives. But the kingdom, in Jesus, was present and real to them and these men wanted to participate in it, so they dropped everything and followed Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds us that this is the same level of commitment we are to have as followers of Christ in every century, as we wait for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to return in glory. In this particular place, Paul seems to focus more on the immanent return of Christ, whereas in others, he talks about it being a future reality. Either way, the point is that our focus is not to be on the temporal kingdoms of this world, but on the eternal kingdom which is present and real right now through Jesus in the Spirit, and on its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus returns in glory. Whatever we do in our daily life keeps this in mind, recognizing the temporality of this world in which we live. We live each day within the context of work, family, community, and society, but we do so with our first allegiance to the claims of Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
One day, the wonder and beauty of our intimate relationship with God will be fully realized in the new heaven and earth, where we will all love God and one another in the way God created us to from the beginning. There will be union and communion between God and humanity that will so far supersede anything that is possible in this present human sphere. There will be no more need for marrying or giving in marriage, Jesus said, for things will be different in the new heaven and earth. So marriage today, in the light of our eternity in union and communion with God, must be kept in perspective, being merely a reflection of that union and communion, and meant to be filled with mutual sacrificial, other-centered love, concern and service of the covenant partners toward one another. As covenant partners care for one another in this way, they bear witness to the kingdom of God. Though their time with one another on this side of the grave is only temporary and may be laden with challenges and suffering, it can be also be filled with moments which reflect the glories of heaven.
In this everyday world, we so easily get wrapped up in going through the motions of work, play, school, and community that we miss the meaning behind it all. We can be so obsessed with attaining goals, acquiring things, grieving our losses, or building empires that we forget the reality that one day all of these things will melt away and be replaced by the true reality of the eternal kingdom of God, where such things will no longer have any value or real existence. Paul reminds us to keep first things first, remembering that this world is filled with temporary things that will not last. As Paul says in Philippians, we want to count everything else as loss for the sake of knowing Christ and being included in his kingdom life and love (Phil. 3:8). As Jesus taught his disciples, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6:33). God gave us many things to enjoy, but we mustn’t set our hearts on them, for they and whatever wealth we may accumulate as time goes by will eventually pass away (Jas. 1:17; 1 Tim. 6:17).
At this time of year, when we are goal-setting, resolution resolving, and plan-making, it is good to be reminded again about what really matters in the over-all scheme of things. We are reminded that Jesus Christ is at the center of every part of life, therefore, we ground all of our hope, dreams, plans, and goals in him. Guided and led by the Spirit, we then seek kingdom aspirations which will be a participation in the renewal of our cosmos by the One who is working to make all things new. And this helps to give us a whole new perspective as we look forward into the New Year. Wishing you all God’s best as you move forward into 2024!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that we are only passing through—that one day this will be replaced by the true realities forged in the finished work of Christ. Grant us the grace to remember to keep first things first throughout this new year, and to seek your kingdom first as we allow you to provide all we need for life and godliness, through Jesus Christ our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 NASB
“… the urgency of these times might demand mutual sacrifices from those who are married, such as sacrificing their time together for other priorities. Even our most personal space for grief or joy is invaded; that leaves you with no time to indulge in your own interests and possessions. If you are in the process of buying something, buy as if you will never own it! Do not lean too hard upon the fragile (economic) structures of this world; they are here today and gone tomorrow!” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 Mirror Bible
“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.” Mark 1:14–20 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitkeeping-a-kingdom-perspective.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Life in a Watered Garden
By Linda Rex
January 2, 2022, 2nd Sunday in Christmas—It’s hard to believe that we are beginning a new year again. It seems like just yesterday I was giving thought to what another year might hold, and was pondering what God might have in mind for all of us. Looking back, I am amazed at all that has been written on these pages we call life. So many joys. So many sorrows. So much loss, and yet, so many gifts of grace. So much faith, hope, and love expressed in our world, in ways which have yet to provide full results. And now, looking forward, there is a new blank journal waiting to be written in. What will this new year bring?
I imagine the wonder that Mary felt holding her baby Jesus for the first time. She had no idea what the future held for her, Joseph and the baby. She had no idea that soon she would be visited by dignitaries from the east bringing her magnificent gifts for her son. It never occurred to her that she would end up in Egypt, hiding from King Herod as a result of this visit. Nor did she realize that eventually she would end up in Nazareth, raising a craftsman’s son, who would be rejected by the people he came to save.
What God envisions for us is so often much greater and more involved than what we envision for ourselves. We see a simple path to our dreams or a path full of obstacles, while God sees a bright future with the bumps and bruises we will experience because of the choices we and others will make along the way. It’s possible that we might see a little into our future, but what God sees is what he envisioned for us before any of this was created. He “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” the apostle Paul wrote, “that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:4–6 NASB).
What God had in mind is evident by how he placed those he created into a watered garden—the garden of Eden. He meant for us to live in this wonderful place of abundance, of joyful relationship with himself, and of meaningful labor and pleasant companionship. How is it that we chose instead a place full of thorns and thistles, of painful labor and heavy toil? Often, what God has in mind for us is so much more than what we choose for ourselves!
But God has always intended our lives to be like watered gardens—a place where we are nourished and blessed by his presence and love. So even before he created us and our world, he committed himself to do everything that would be needed to bring us to that place. First in the garden of Eden, as he walked and talked with Adam and Eve. Then, working with human beings over the millennia, building relationships, working with nations and people to accomplish his divine purpose.
And then he came himself as the Word of God, to take on our human flesh—to go all the way into our human experience, all the way through death to resurrection, in order to bring us into a new place where we could participate with the Son of God in his perfect loving relationship with his Father in the Spirit. The Word of God in human flesh—this was the will of God for you and me, planned and executed—the perfection of the divine life and love to be shared with those God had made. This redemption and ransom of his creation was planned all along—but none of us really came close to understanding it or seeing it until Jesus came and revealed the Father to us and send the Spirit to open our hearts and minds.
As Mary held her baby that holy night, all of this was held in abeyance—God’s plans for the precious infant were beyond those parents’ expectations or comprehension. Letting the infant Jesus wrap his tiny fingers around her own, Mary no doubt felt a deep affection for him, and maybe even an even greater awe at the miracle which had just occurred. God does amazing things when we simply offer ourselves to him in trusting obedience to his will and purposes in this world. But Mary did not grasp the magnitude of what lay in store for this little One.
Over and over, throughout his life here on earth, Mary came face to face with the reality of who her son was—God in human flesh. We read that she would ponder these things in her heart—thinking through what she heard and saw within the context of what she had been told about Jesus before he was born. As Jesus grew up and began to live into his identity as the Son of God and Son of Man, Mary reflected on all that she knew to be true about him. In the end, she came to believe, to put her faith in Christ as her Lord and Savior.
As we face a new year with infinite possibilities, we have the opportunity to pause and give some thought as to what God may have in mind for us as we move forward. Rather than deciding for ourselves what our goals for the next year may be or what our New Year’s resolutions will be, perhaps we could take some time to ask God what he would like to do with our life. What does God have in mind for us in 2022? Does he have a special word for us for this New Year? Is there something new he would like to do in our life this New Year?
In all of our ponderings, we can be encouraged by reflecting on the reality that God has placed us through Jesus in a watered garden. He has given us truth and grace in his Son Jesus, freeing us to live in relationship with God now and forever, as we open ourselves up to the free flow of the water of his Spirit immersing us in his life and love. All of life is lived in Christ now, and can be experienced as constant companionship with the Creator and Sustainer of all. God walks with us and talks with us by his Spirit and his Word, as we turn to Christ in faith. The New Year is full of infinite possibilities and bright hope because we rejoice and dance together in the watered garden of God’s love and life even now through Christ in the Spirit.
Heavenly Father, thank you for planning so much more for us than we could ever plan for ourselves! Thank you for including us in your life and love. Please show us what you have in mind for us this New Year. What would you like to do? How would you have us join in with your divine dance? Do as you will with us in 2022 and beyond, through Jesus our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“ ‘For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—over the grain and the new wine and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; and their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again. Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together, for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:(7–14) 11–14 NASB
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.”’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” John 1:10–18 NASB
Comfort Amidst Our Failed Resolutions
By Linda Rex
I’m sure by now that many of you have fallen off your January resolutions for self-improvement and life improvement. And I’m sure many of you are currently in the process of self-flagellation, beating yourself up because you didn’t meet your own expectations, whatever they were.
It is a given that we are broken human beings and we struggle with habits and behaviors that often are not healthy and life-giving. And most all of us want to improve ourselves, have better relationships, and grow as individuals. Now I’m all for New Year’s resolutions, but too often they are our own attempt at self-discipline, rather than a lifestyle change rising out of the deep inner power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, which is the spiritual gift of self-control.
When we look at the Scriptures which talk about being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), and we are reminded at this time of year when we celebrate Christ’s transfiguration that we are being transformed from our human glory to the glory that is Christ’s, I think it is real easy to look at transformation as being something solely behavioral. What I mean is we often think that our transformation means that we will be better people who will act in better ways.
Indeed, God wants to transform our behavior, but I believe that he wants to go much deeper than that. I believe God wants to transform our inner being. And he wants to transform our relationship with himself—so that in relationship with him we become the people he created us to be—his adopted children who live eternally in intimate relationship with him and one another for all eternity.
It occurred to me this morning as I contemplated the transfiguration that what Jesus said about this process was significant. When he prayed to the Father the night before his crucifixion, it is recorded that he asked that the glory he was given by the Father would be given to those who were his so “that they may be one, just as we are one”. In other worlds, the purpose for sharing in Christ’s glory, in Jesus’ mind, was not so much that we become good people, but that we could and would share in the unity, the intimacy, the oneness of the Father and the Son in the Spirit.
Jesus’ prayer was a request with regards to unity and oneness. Going on, he said, “I in them and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity.” This has to do with our sharing in the divine perichoresis or mutual indwelling of the Father, Son and Spirit. This is a relational oneness that we struggle to have with almost everyone in our lives.
Apart from the grace of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit, it is difficult or next to impossible for us to have the relationships in our lives the way we should have. We don’t realize how often the Spirit is at work interceding between us with one another and in our relationship with God so that we can have unity, peace and harmony. I think if we did, we would be a whole lot bolder and consistent about asking the Spirit through Jesus to intercede in every relationship in our lives, whether individually, as communities, or as nations.
Indeed, it is our rejection of our Father, Jesus and the Spirit who indwell human hearts that creates such havoc in our lives. When we are fully in control of all that happens in a relationship and insist that others behave in the ways we think they should behave—we create havoc and destruction in those relationships. When we suffocate the people in our lives because we expect them to take the place only God should take in our lives, we reap the consequences that go with such behavior. When we demand things from others that only God can do for us, we create relational holes that are impossible to fill.
God created us for relationships. They are important and essential to our human existence. Introvert or extrovert, we all need people in our lives to love us, to affirm us, and for us to share life with. Some of the saddest people I know are those who have shut out everyone and have holed up in a place all by themselves. The twisting of the human soul often comes with the significant relationships in our lives harming or attempting to destroy us. And it is only through loving, healthy relationships with God and one another that we find true healing.
Our behavior is often a reflection of what is going on inside of us. It rises out of the depths of our being—the being that we really are inside, not what we project to everyone around us. There are times when we find ourselves doing things we don’t want to do and we can’t figure out why.
This is because there are depths to our being we push down or hide away, or reject because either we don’t want to face them, or we are afraid to let them surface because we may not be able to control what happens when we do allow them to come to light. Indeed, there are times when it would be good to see a counselor or therapist to get help with these deep issues of the heart. And in other cases, to be in a spiritual community where we can be authentic, transparent and accepted is essential.
But other times it’s more a matter of inviting the divine Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to go with us into the dark places and inviting him to bring the healing light of our divine Physician Jesus Christ there. And God will heal us as we ask and cooperate with him in our healing.
Transformation of our lives begins first by the transformation God gives us through Jesus and in the Spirit in our relationship with himself. God draws us near so that we can draw near to others.
When we have a strong foundation in our lives of a deep, intimate relationship with God through Jesus and in the Spirit, we will find that our relationships will begin to reflect that change. Sure, some of them will fall away because there is no room for God or the divine realities in them. But others will begin to heal and blossom and grow. And as we choose to respond to God’s guidance in making healthy choices in our relationships, we will find ourselves in the midst of a healthy spiritual community, and we will find ourselves beginning to heal.
It is in our healthy relationships with God and one another that our true being is reflected back to us in such a way that we begin to change. This change comes not by following a list of rules, mind you, but by God’s work of transforming us by his Holy Spirit.
Our relationships, when they are filled with God’s love and grace, begin to influence us and change begins in our hearts and our minds. True, it is good to study the living and written Word of God so that our minds are renewed in the true realities, but it is God through the Spirit who brings about our true transformation. We are merely participants in the work God has done and is doing through Jesus Christ and in the Spirit. May it be our new resolution to receive this gift of transformation God has given us and to actively participate in what God is doing in our hearts and lives.
Dear loving Father, thank you for the gift of yourself through Jesus and in your Spirit through which we may experience loving relationship with you and one another. Please finish the work of transformation you have begun in us, and grant us the grace to fully participate with you both in listening to the living Word and obediently following the Spirit as he leads us, so that we might ever walk in step with Jesus. May we be fully transformed by grace through faith. In your Name we pray, amen.
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” John 17:22–23 NASB
The New Year and the Blessing of Snow
By Linda Rex
It was almost Christmas Day and I was listening to yet another Christmas carol. The thought came to my mind that a lot of these Christmas songs, and the movies that come out this time of year, are about winter and specifically, snow. What’s the big deal about snow, anyway?
Well, I’m sure there are a lot of reasons that snow is considered an important part of people’s celebration of this day. But the reason I like the idea of snow being associated with Jesus’ birth is that it is a reminder that Jesus came to give all of us a new start.
It’s like when the dirty dingy sidewalks and the brown grass suddenly disappear under a thick coat of new snow. When everything is caught in the silent beauty of a falling snow that is covering everything with glittering whiteness, it’s easy to believe that there are new possibilities for life. All of a sudden we see things in a new way.
God calls us to the joy and wonder of a new start when he says: “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) Christ’s life was all about new beginnings, about giving each of us a clean slate.
Here we pause at the beginning of a New Year, a new year full of new possibilities and new beginnings. Each of us has been given another year in which to live life to the fullness in a relationship of love with the Father, Son and Spirit and with one another. We look out onto a yard full of snowy whiteness and we consider what we will do.
There are so many possibilities! Some of us will run out in our snowboots and hats and will start making snowmen and snow angels. Some of us will complain about the mess and get out our snowblowers to get rid of the snow. Some of us will just sit and gaze on the snow through the windows, wistfully wishing we could enjoy it. And some of us will go out and start a snowball fight.
In every case, we find that we are given the opportunity to do something new in our lives. We have the opportunity to be creative and build something, or do something useful with what’s been given. We can be productive and helpful or wasteful and destructive. We can experience joy and have fun in the midst of the new life God has given us, or we can wallow in negativity.
What will your New Year be like? My wish for all of you is that you will experience in a deep, real way the Presence of God in your lives each and every day of this New Year, and that as you walk with the Triune God, you will grow in his faith, hope and love. May you experience God’s fullest blessings in 2016!
Holy God, thank you for wiping our slate clean and giving us a new start. Thank you that we can experience new beginnings all the time—with each new day, month and year, even each moment—because of what you have done for us in your Son. Give us the heart to offer this same grace to each person in our lives as you offer it to us. Through Jesus and in your Spirit we pray. Amen.
“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NASB
Our Life in the Trinity 