12/31/12
New Year or New Day?
Opening
Prayer
Lord, as we come together on this New Year's Eve, we thank you for the blessings that you've given us in 2012. Our world has had some ups and downs, but through it all, we know that you've been with us. We pray that as we complete our Christmas celebrations that you continue to remind us that you are with us. Remind us that the truth of Christmas is only the beginning and that throughout this new year it remains true: Emmanuel! God with us!
Amen
Song
Let’s join together in worshiping God through music and song!
Click
on the “Listen” tab for music selection that will help your community enter
into God’s presence. Sing along or just listen and reflect.
Message
Do you find it strange that our culture puts so much emphasis on a new year? We begin to gear up for it during Christmas, don't we? We feel almost a sense of relief, as if the joyous celebration of Christmas is a reward for a job well done during the year. As the holidays come to an end, we solemnly build up a a sense of closure on what was, and begin to focus with anticipation on what will be. It's an odd frame of mind when you think about it, because one of the essential aspects of Christmas is beginnings. And as we approach New Year's Eve, we almost subconsciously believe that we will somehow be magically transformed into a new state of being on January 1. Think about it; a new year almost has an identity all to itself. When we wake up, on the cusp of a new year, we are automatically "different". We feel different. Our thoughts are different. Our family and friends are different. Our jobs will be different. Our churches will be different. Our country will be different. The government will be different (Yeah, right) Everything is, and will be, different. Why? Because the year is different. Just wait and see! When the clock strikes midnight, everything will be different! Kind of feels like time travel when you think about it.
But will things be so different when you wake up tomorrow morning, despite possibly having a slight hangover? Will you be a different person, facing a new and different life? Will everything be different? Should it? The truth is, January 1, 2013, will just be another day. Our methods of time keeping are just relative measures of time keeping. There is nothing magical about New Years Eve and the birth of a new year. We will still be the same people and life will go on pretty much as usual. We'll face the same problems and struggles that we face every day. Your job will still be waiting for you and the same stress with be attached to it. Those same people that irritate you will still be there and the same family problems will be waiting for you to face as well. There will still be threats of terror and war will still be waged. Sounding dark and depressing? There's a point.
The point is, why does the changing of a year have to be so important to us? Why do we need the magical "do over" that so many of us rely on? Does January 1, 2013 have the potential to transform our lives to something better? Yes, as a matter of fact it does. But not anymore than January 2, and not more than December 30. You see, the problem is that when we put so much emphasis on the "new year", we loose focus of the "new day". See, the beginning of a new day has many more potential of life changing opportunities as does the start of a new year. In reality, all we have control over is the day that has been given to us by God, and even that we have no real control over.
Click on the "Read" tab and take a look at Lamentations 3:22-24 and Psalm 118:23
From these words, we see that we have cause to celebrate each day with just as much excitement as the beginning of a new year! Today is here and now! Today is real! Today has tangibility, the future is yet to be formed. God's Kingdom is here, not sometime in the future.
Click on "Read" and see how The Message version of the Bible puts 2 Corinthians 6:2
This emphasizes to us that "now" is the time, not tomorrow. God doesn't want us acting to some time in the future, but today! Today is the day to act. Today is the day to trust God. Sometimes we need to stop worrying about how things will be better someday and ask ourselves how we can make them better today! Instead of resolving how this "year" will be better, maybe we should focus on how this "day" will be all God intends. Instead of praying "thy Kingdom come", maybe our prayers should be more focused on "they Kingdom now"!
Now is there anything wrong with celebrating on New Year's Eve and looking forward to a new year? Absolutely not. The new year gives us a chance to refocus and get our priorities in order. If anything, the new year is a focal point, and in our fast-paced culture, we sometimes have very little to focus on. But let us not put so much emphasis on the future that we forget to focus our energy on the present. Let's not looks so much to the "New Year", that we forget to get exciting about the "New Day"!
Message
Do you find it strange that our culture puts so much emphasis on a new year? We begin to gear up for it during Christmas, don't we? We feel almost a sense of relief, as if the joyous celebration of Christmas is a reward for a job well done during the year. As the holidays come to an end, we solemnly build up a a sense of closure on what was, and begin to focus with anticipation on what will be. It's an odd frame of mind when you think about it, because one of the essential aspects of Christmas is beginnings. And as we approach New Year's Eve, we almost subconsciously believe that we will somehow be magically transformed into a new state of being on January 1. Think about it; a new year almost has an identity all to itself. When we wake up, on the cusp of a new year, we are automatically "different". We feel different. Our thoughts are different. Our family and friends are different. Our jobs will be different. Our churches will be different. Our country will be different. The government will be different (Yeah, right) Everything is, and will be, different. Why? Because the year is different. Just wait and see! When the clock strikes midnight, everything will be different! Kind of feels like time travel when you think about it.
But will things be so different when you wake up tomorrow morning, despite possibly having a slight hangover? Will you be a different person, facing a new and different life? Will everything be different? Should it? The truth is, January 1, 2013, will just be another day. Our methods of time keeping are just relative measures of time keeping. There is nothing magical about New Years Eve and the birth of a new year. We will still be the same people and life will go on pretty much as usual. We'll face the same problems and struggles that we face every day. Your job will still be waiting for you and the same stress with be attached to it. Those same people that irritate you will still be there and the same family problems will be waiting for you to face as well. There will still be threats of terror and war will still be waged. Sounding dark and depressing? There's a point.
The point is, why does the changing of a year have to be so important to us? Why do we need the magical "do over" that so many of us rely on? Does January 1, 2013 have the potential to transform our lives to something better? Yes, as a matter of fact it does. But not anymore than January 2, and not more than December 30. You see, the problem is that when we put so much emphasis on the "new year", we loose focus of the "new day". See, the beginning of a new day has many more potential of life changing opportunities as does the start of a new year. In reality, all we have control over is the day that has been given to us by God, and even that we have no real control over.
Click on the "Read" tab and take a look at Lamentations 3:22-24 and Psalm 118:23
From these words, we see that we have cause to celebrate each day with just as much excitement as the beginning of a new year! Today is here and now! Today is real! Today has tangibility, the future is yet to be formed. God's Kingdom is here, not sometime in the future.
Click on "Read" and see how The Message version of the Bible puts 2 Corinthians 6:2
This emphasizes to us that "now" is the time, not tomorrow. God doesn't want us acting to some time in the future, but today! Today is the day to act. Today is the day to trust God. Sometimes we need to stop worrying about how things will be better someday and ask ourselves how we can make them better today! Instead of resolving how this "year" will be better, maybe we should focus on how this "day" will be all God intends. Instead of praying "thy Kingdom come", maybe our prayers should be more focused on "they Kingdom now"!
Now is there anything wrong with celebrating on New Year's Eve and looking forward to a new year? Absolutely not. The new year gives us a chance to refocus and get our priorities in order. If anything, the new year is a focal point, and in our fast-paced culture, we sometimes have very little to focus on. But let us not put so much emphasis on the future that we forget to focus our energy on the present. Let's not looks so much to the "New Year", that we forget to get exciting about the "New Day"!
Closing
Prayer
Lord,
we thank you for this time to join together on New Years Eve.
Let us face this new year with an urgency to show others the Kingdom of God. Let us focus not so much on the expansive future in front of us, but the here and now.
Let us face this new year with an urgency to show others the Kingdom of God. Let us focus not so much on the expansive future in front of us, but the here and now.
Amen
May
the Lord bless you, may he keep you, and may he give you peace!
Happy New Year!
Reflect
Click on the "Reflection" tab for a suggested prayer for your community and selected questions for discussion.
Happy New Year!
Reflect
Click on the "Reflection" tab for a suggested prayer for your community and selected questions for discussion.
See
you next Sunday!
