Some time ago, my friend Hunter preached on the passage in Luke about John the Baptist’s father Zechariah. Zechariah was an old man when the angel Gabriel announced to him that he would have a son. His wife Elizabeth had been barren all her life, and she was very old. Zechariah seemed to have his doubts, and Gabriel struck him mute for his disbelief.

Hunter reminded us, “Never doubt the power of God.” Never doubt the power of God, for with God, all things are possible! This does not mean that God is going to answer our prayers exactly when and how we’d like. No. But it does mean that with God, there are no dead ends.

Let us pray: God of New Beginnings, we claim the promise that with you all things are possible. We lift up to you now the concerns of our hearts. Some of us are struggling with financial burdens or with family problems. Some of us are coping with health concerns or broken relationships. We ask you to give us the strength and courage we need to get through the day. Breathe new hope and peace into our lives, and help us to trust. Help us to trust you. Fill us with your grace, and grant us eyes to see your light that is breaking in—even now. Amen.

In Psalm 119 we read, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my path.”

If you read the entire Psalm, all 176 verses, you would find over and over and over again it’s praising God for the gift of scripture. Throughout this psalm, there are also sections of prayer asking God for ongoing guidance and change of heart. The prayers are repetitive:
Teach me.
Give me understanding.
Lead me in your paths.
Give me life in your ways.

The psalmist believes that our faith offers us a path, a way of life that is lived in harmony, or in tune, with the Creator of the Universe. And our scriptures teach us how to live that path.

Years ago, a retired pastor was helping part-time in our church. I remember he would come into the office some days so excited about something he’d read that morning in the Bible—some new insight he had gleaned. Inevitably, he’d want to share it. I thought it was beautiful that God still spoke to him in new ways through the Bible—even after fifty years of preaching, teaching, and studying. What a treasure.

I pray that in your own life, it would be a gift as well—more than just a book that sits on your shelf or in a church pew. I pray that you would open it, read it, soak it in, and be comfortable in it. And may you find that as you do, God will lead you, equip you, change you, and speak to you through it.

Let us pray: O Ancient of Days, God of this very moment. We have set this time aside for you. We’ve put our lives on pause because we know that you created us to be in communion with you. We ask your Spirit to rest on us. Grant us open hearts and a desire to meet you in your ancient—yet living—word. Amen.

Rev. Tony Campolo once wrote about a study in which fifty people over the age of ninety-five were asked one question: “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” It was an open-ended question, and it received a wide variety of answers. However, three answers consistently reemerged and dominated the results. They were:

If I had it to do over again…
I would reflect more.
I would risk more.
I would do more things that would live on after I am dead.

That’s interesting, isn’t it? As you think back over your life, I hope you don’t have too many regrets. If we are open to God’s healing grace, and if we are willing to do some reflection, many of our past experiences can ultimately lead us to be more compassionate, generous, faithful, and loving human beings.

Looking forward, it is never too late to reflect a little more, to risk a little more, and to do a few things that will live on after we die.

As we sit on the edge of this new year, I do hope you will spend some time in reflection. I wonder where God may be asking you to step out in faith and to make an impact.

Let us pray: O God of ages past, O God of years to come, we thank you for your faithfulness to us throughout the journey of life. We thank you for the experiences we have had in life and for your ever-redeeming grace. Help us today to hear from you. Open our hearts to any new opportunities you might have in store for us. Empower us to live and give fully. We ask in Christ’s name. Amen.

Several years ago now, I remember my friend Charlie Landreth sharing a message on the story about the Wise Men following the star to find the Christ child. And I remember he noted first and foremost that Matthew tells us, in words that almost leap off the page: “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy…”

That’s a powerful statement. They were overwhelmed with joy!

Barbara Brown Taylor describes the experience of joy as “almost irreverent.” She writes, “Joy has never had very much to do with what is going on in the world at the time. This is what makes it different from happiness, or pleasure, or fun. All those depend on positive conditions… The only condition for joy is the presence of God… which means that it can erupt in a depressed economy, in the middle of a war, or in an intensive care waiting room… it is a gift…”

In addition to joy, however, there is another emotion prevalent in this text: and that is fear. If we were to back up, when the Magi reached Jerusalem and began asking around, Matthew tells us that Herod got very nervous. This news of Jesus's birth struck him with fear. And not only him. Matthew says, “Herod was terrified, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Fear is a pretty powerful emotion as well.

So what a huge contrast: the Wise Men following the star, which leads to joy, and Herod and all of Jerusalem—never looking up—filled with fear.

I remember Charlie asking: Where do you find your place in this story? Where to stand as you face this New Year? In what mood do you live your life—joy or fear? Or a mixture of both? Most of us live our lives within that tension…

I wonder how often fear gets in the way of our following the light—or even noticing the light. I wonder how often fear gets in the way of our experiencing joy or grace or God…

As we head into this new year—wherever you are on the journey of life—I pray that you would not allow fear to dominate your life or your decisions. I pray that you would keep your head up, your eyes open, and your heart tender… I pray that in doing so, you might notice the in-breaking of the light of Christ into your life at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. May that light not only bring you deep and abiding joy but lead you to respond with all your heart…

Let us pray: God of Grace, as we sit on the edge of this new year, we ask that the light of Christ would bring joy and hope to our hearts and lives. It is in his name we pray. Amen.

Over the course of the year I lived in Jamaica, two separate times faith-based medical mission teams came to our part of the island. Both times, the groups were small, and yet they made a huge impact in the community. People lined up for almost a mile to see a doctor, or dentist, or to get glasses.

Sometimes we wonder if our giving makes a difference. But there, with that mission, you could see the impact firsthand—and it was powerful.

In fact, one Monday morning, after the first medical team left, I noticed a seventh-grade student smiling ear to ear. He had on this huge pair of red glasses that were way too big for his small face. But his world was changed, because all of a sudden he could see!

This made me reflect on all the other folks in that town whose lives were now better off. Some had teeth that didn’t ache, others could see better, still others felt better. Their lives had been touched and changed.

On the other side of this, I had the opportunity to have lunch with that first medical team near the end of their stay. I heard again and again from this group of dentists, doctors, and nurses, “Oh, I received way more from this experience than I ever gave!”

Most of us find this to be true. When we use our gifts, large or small, for the good of others, blessings don’t simply rain down—they pour.

Let us pray: It is amazing how you work, O God. When we share your love it becomes more and more a part of us. Help us continue to find ways to use our gifts to bless others. And then, Lord, meet us in our giving so that we would be drawn closer to you. We ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.