January 4, 2024
Dear Central Church,
Happy New Year! Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? The turning of the calendar from one year to the next is a good time to take inventory of our lives. It’s an opportunity to look at habits that may be unproductive and think about making positive changes.
The story of God’s people is filled with these “New Year’s Resolution” moments. The Israelites recognize things need to change, and so they make a resolution to do better in the future. The sad yet predictable part of the story is that every promise to the Lord to obey was never kept. The people soon forgot their commitments, forgot who it was that had called them, and turned to serve other gods.
Jesus came so that we could live beyond the disappointment and shame of promises and resolutions we could never keep. His life, death, and resurrection is the embodiment of a “new covenant” and fulfills for us what we could never do on our own. Putting our trust in him does more than marginally improve things that are wrong in our life. Trusting in Jesus accomplishes the transformation of our lives, unlocking our potential to be more like Jesus every day!
John Wesley had a different rhythm for this time of year. He didn’t make resolutions, but encouraged his congregations to make “covenant renewals.” In this special service at the beginning of the year, they would offer this prayer:
“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
As we prepare for worship on the first Sunday of a New Year, let’s pray this together and be reminded of all that Jesus has done so that we can live with hope and joy. We don’t have to live on the treadmill of defeat, discouragement, and disappointment. We can be transformed into the people God has called us to be.
I’m excited to begin a new sermon series that takes us through the book of James, an epistle regarded as the New Testament’s book of wisdom. This book is full of Spirit-empowered “life hacks” to guide us through tough times and rough relationships. We’ll resume our regular schedule this week with worship and Life Groups at 9 & 10:30am. Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark