“A Good Start”       2012

Isaiah 51:7-12                  Ephesians 5:10-17

 

Isaiah 51:7-12

7Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear the reproach of others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you. 8For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.  9Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago! Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? 10Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to cross over? 11So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass?

 

Ephesians 5:10-17

10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

 

When I travel, especially overseas, I like to keep

            a daily journal of my observations, reflections and prayers.

                                       I find that writing in my journey each day

                                                helps me organize and clarify my observations.

 

Then later on, after I have returned home,

            re-reading my journal takes me back to   that place and time…

 

                … with the advantage of remembering

                        from the larger perspective of the whole journey

                            including additional insights gained along the way --   

       -- which deepens

                   my understanding and benefit from the travel-experience.

 

I’ve noticed that several magazines and TV news programs

        have been running their ‘year-in-review’ specials this week.

I am struck that many of the significant events   of last year

            have a very different feel, now at the end of the year ---

 

                        -- now that we can interpret them

                                    from the context

                                                of a more distant and historical perspective,à

                of knowing how those events worked out…

                        … and not just our immediate and gut reaction to them.

 

Today, we are in an   “in-between space” of being able to  

            look back over this past year as we move ahead into the next-

-- which is an excellent time for reflection and re-evaluation …

               … to think about where we have been, what has happened,

                        and what we have learned   before we step into a new year.

 

The ancient Romans recognized this as opportunity to re-assess

            and in fact, worshipped a god who ruled over

                        the “in-between”, that space betweenà

                                    the end of something and the beginning of the next…

                        … a god named “Janus”, as in the month of “January”.

 

The image of Janus was depicted as a double-faced head

            with each face looking in an opposite direction ---

    - and which was often engraved into doorframes and thresholds

                        as looking in and out, behind and ahead,

                                   in recognition of the time and space of transition.

 

As we are passing from one year into the next,

            it is an ideal time to consider and question,

                        what we can gain, what we can learn

                                    that will help us grow toward a more worthy future:

 

            * Are you reasonably satisfied that you are on track toward

                        where, what, and who   God wants and intends you to be?

 

* How well and faithfully

            did you handle the challenges and struggles of last year,

                                    and was there anything you learned or gained

                                                that can help you navigate this coming year?

 

            * Was there any sense of God’s presence or purpose

                        acting behind the scenes of your life this past year?

 

*Are you on the right path toward the person God created you to be,

            and are you living the sort of life

                        you believe God intends for you to live?

 

* How about your spiritual life and your journey of faith,

            are you growing and progressing?;

                                    because if we are spiritually stagnant,

                                                then we are really in decline, and moving away.

 

            * How was this past year for you,

                        did you accomplish, achieve and acquire

                                    more of whatever is most important to you,

                                                and in accord with your life-priorities?

 

Are you well situated

            in the ways that matter to you, to move into the year ahead?

 

Surely now,

            this in-between time is the ideal and excellent season

                        to evaluate the past, and where we are today,

                                       as a good way to prepare

                                                and improve toward the future we desire.

 

As of today, none of us knows for sure

            exactly what challenges we will face this coming year ---

                        - but I am almost certain,à

    that it won’t be all easy and simple next year…

     … and probably it will be far more exciting  than comfortable.

 

Nevertheless, as the prophet Isaiah reminds us,

            God’s promises are sure and certain, and God will be with usà

                        to secure us and bless us according to God’s purpose…

                                                … so we really have no reason to fear or dread.

vs. 7~8

            Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear … and do not be dismayed … for the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.

 

As Isaiah explains it,   that which threatens and opposes

            is temporary like a woolen garment being eaten by moths,

                        in contrast

                                    to God’s saving purpose which is sure and forever.

 

That same hopeful theme is repeated in the second stanza,

            urging them    to remember how the Lord rescued them

                        and how God dealt with their Egyptian oppressors, vs. 10

… who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to cross over?

 

Then God concludes with a wonderful promise and assurance, vs. 12

            I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass?

 

That is our hope,  our assurance & comfort going into the New Year,

            that if God who loves us    and is on our side,

                        then does it really matter or make any difference

                                                who or what is against us,

                                                            who or what threatens or opposes us?

 

With that assurance and promise in place,

            I suggest some practical steps and considerations

                        as we prepare to step boldly into this coming year.

 

First, start by looking backwards.

            What has God been up to in your life and world this past year?

                                    Are there some spiritual high places and blessings

                                                where you can focus, learn, and draw near,

                                                            where you have seen and experienced God?

            Some of life’s coincidences are really signs

                        of God’s anonymous love and providence at work.

 

In Ephesians, the author explains that

            becoming a Christian moves us from darkness into the light-

                        -- which equips us with possibilities and resources

                                    to live and deal with life in new and different ways

                                          that do reflect and glorify God’s gracious love.

 

Following Jesus means that I look at life and its situations

            differently than I did before … trusting that God is at work,

                        even in the ordinary, the challenging and unexpected.

 

Several times,

            situations that I perceived as pointless disasters,

                        as it turned out, moved me in a new direction,

                                    and began a sequence of progress and growth;

            but I had to endure and live through it,

                        and only on the other side could I see the value,

                                or appreciate that it was of God’s gracious purpose.                            

 

The Christian life is a relationship of truth and trust

            that starts with listening to God, vs. 10, 17

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. …  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

 

Each choice and decision we make

            either improves or diminishes our relationship with God ---

- and we are called to awaken from carelessness and mediocrity

            by thinking about where and how we are going …

                                    … not that we have arrived,

                                                but will we, in humility, patience and trust,

                                                     let God bring us to where God wants us to be? 

 

Second, be passionate and intentional,

            about growing and walking in faith with the Lord God…

                        … by dreaming bigger dreams and setting higher goals.

 

Too often we drift like jellyfish in the ocean

       going with whatever and wherever the tide of culture takes us.

                             But as the children of God,

                                    we are capable of so much better and more than that.

 

Our call & hope is to intentionally move toward more worthy goals

       by recalibrating our lives toward the will and purpose of God.

 

This year,

            I want to be more intentional about whatever God is up to,

                        and how I can manage to get in on the works of our Lord…

… which begins by asking ourselves, and in prayer,

            how does God want to use my life, my time and resources

                        to accomplish something meaningful

                                    that makes a difference to someone …

                                                … and how can I get started on it and do it now?

 

Third, one of God’s greatest gifts to us,

    are the difficulties, obstacles & limitations we face in lifeà

 

-- that we cannot do all things, but must decide what matters,

                        must set priorities of importance and urgency,

                                    must focus on where we are headed,

                                         and what it is that we believe God desires for us.

 

Our task is to reflect on and build on our past,

                        and to grow deeper from the things of last year,

                             toward the best and blessings that God intends for us.

 

Two brothers

            were caught stealing sheep in a small village one time.

As punishment,

            the enraged villagers branded each of them on the forehead

                        with the letters, “ST”, for sheep thief. 

 

            One of the brothers

                        left town in shame and was never heard from again.

The other brother stayed,

   took a lot of abuse and distain, trying to make up for his crime.

 

            At first, no one would trust him or his motives ----

                        but over many years stretching into decades,

                                    he was always there to help anyone in need.

 

He visited and brought soup to the sick.

            He chopped firewood for the old and infirm,

                        and shared generously with widows, orphans and the poor.

 

He was always the first with kindness, care and compassion,

            and came to be much loved, respected and appreciated by all…

                        … and in time,  no one thought much about his past crime.

 

Many years later, a stranger was passing through the village,

            and noticed how loved and respected this man was,

                        and asked about the “ST” marked on his forehead.

 

The local he asked, thought for a moment, scratched his head,

            and said that he thought it was from something long ago,

                        but explained, “I don’t remember exactly what it was,

                                    but I think the ‘ST’ must stand for saint…

                                                … yea, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was.”

 

As we begin our New Year, the Apostle Paul wrote this advice:

            Philippians 3:13-14

                        Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.