Sometimes I wonder, if Jesus were pastoring a church, what type of message he would preach on January 1st.
I wonder what he would think about when he thought about the New Year, our sentiments towards it, how we approach it, and how it measures up against the life that he lived and taught about.
What parts of our New Year's tradition and celebration would he celebrate along with us? What would he pick up on as illustrations of what life with him is like?
Which parts would he choose for speaking words of correction or admonition?
What would Jesus decide that we needed to hear from the pulpit on January 1st?
Here's my best guess as to what Jesus' bulleted outline might look like if he was the one preaching today:
- I love that you love what is new. I do too. I love seeing things go from broken, worn down, and hopeless to new and alive. You love what is new becuase I love what is new. I'm always trying to make something new. I'd love for you to join me.
- You are right: everything is possible. I love to see your optimism restored, your faith renewed, and your resolve strengthened. You should be optimistic.
- But you are misguided on why everything is possible; this is why your optimism is often so short lived, and why your resolutions so often turn into monuments to your failure.
- Your New Year and the possibilities therein rest too heavily on you: your will, your power, your resolve. If there is one lesson that I had hoped you would have learned from last year (and every year before that), it was this: that your will is weak - too weak to bring about the change your heart craves.
- Here's what I hope you don't forget: everything is possible because my Father raised me from the dead, and has been raising dead people to life ever since.
- Stop and think about that: I was raised to new life because I died. And before I physically died, I willfully died. I surrendered control of my life to my Father. I became absolutely dependent on my Father. I obeyed Him perfectly. And that wasn't always easy.
- But oh, was it abundantly good! Except for that brief moment on the cross, I faced every circumstance of my life - from the feeding of the 5,000, to Judas' betrayal, to the stone rolling away, to my ascension into heaven - in my Father's presence. Really connected.
- In fact, that's why I was able to do and experience so many incredible, supernatural, life-changing things: I died to myself. It was the Father through the Spirit doing those things through me.
- So this is what I hope for you in 2012. I hope that you will forsake your hope in yourself - your abilities, your power, your will, your desire to do what is right. I hope that you will give more of your will to my Father - that you will die the same death that I did. And I hope that you savor the power of my resurrection, as your death will bring about my life and my power and my love in you, so that through you your world may be changed in my name.
Be it resolved.
Comments