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Happy New Year 2023

 


The last Lectionary reading for 2022 is very appropriate for ending the year and anticipating the new months ahead. The two passages are from John 1, and 1 John 2. They are a contrast of thoughts to me.
 
The main focus comes from John 1:6-9, ā€œA man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.ā€
 
May we all make the sacrifice to invest more of ourselves into our faith and relationship with Jesus to ensure we powerfully illumine His Light into the darkness of this world. We need to be like John who testified to the light so that all might believe. The world needs to hear about the redeeming love of God. The world needs to see God through us.
 
As believers, we cannot ā€œjust existā€ and go about our lives day after day with ā€œselfā€ as our main objective. There are so many people who still need to hear the Gospelā€¦.even more need to witness and experience our faith lived out through our lives as a testimony that what we believe is true.
 
Romans 10:13-14, ā€œFor ā€˜Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.ā€™ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?ā€
 
We pray that we will actively and passionately live out our faith with intentional zeal now, in 2023, and beyond. I pray that we are not ā€œChristianā€ in name only. Thatā€™s where 1 John 2:18-19 speaks. ā€œDear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.ā€
 
There are many in our churches claiming to be Christians. Others have even given up, abandoned what little they did have, and have walked away. They were never really fully surrendered to Jesus. They have been secularly institutionalized, but not spiritually evangelized. These people have joined the Church socially and culturally but have not totally given their lives to Jesus and His Body, the Church. 
 
Many of our churches are eroding from the Truth and evolving into a hybrid that looks like a religious-civic organization. Apostate. They are ā€œRevelation 2:4 Churchesā€ that have abandoned their first love. They have become no different than the world around them. In attempts to ā€œreach the worldā€ they have, instead, succumbed to the ā€œagendasā€ and have become more like it.
 
Strong accusation? Maybe. But, as Matthew 25:16, 20, tells us ā€œYou can identify them by their fruitā€¦Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.ā€  Proof is in actionā€¦not talk. Many churches have dwindled to ā€œSunday onlyā€ or are barely active beyond Sunday.
 
As we look to 2023, may we spiritually awaken, focus on what is most important, and commit to the commands of Christ and all things that are of eternal value. Are you ready for thatā€¦if not, are you willing to work and prepare? (Matthew 25:1-13).
 
All else regarding our lives will fall into its proper place from thereā€¦so donā€™t fear or worry (Matthew 6:25-34). Let us journey, together, into 2023 with Jesus and each other. Jesus. Priorities. Eternity. Happy New Year.

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