For much of Canada today, we are ‘nestled’ under the blanket of some rather extreme and nasty weather--a good day to hunker down rather than to face the elements. And also, a great time to spend time with God, and get His perspective on matters. Today’s psalm speaks on this, and especially on the unique, and penetrating, perspective that God has on our own individual lives. He knows us far better than anyone else, which includes even ourselves, and so it is always handy, and helpful, to see what He has to say.

Today’s psalm and meditation should give us all good reason to rejoice. In as much as this psalm was composed by David at a time in his life when he was facing great trials and tribulation, and quoted by Jesus on the Cross, it gives credence to the idea that we can turn to God no matter what we are going through--yes, even at those times when God seems absent or non-responsive. Both David and Jesus were firmly convinced that God would ‘come through’ for them, regardless of what they were feeling or experiencing at the time--which is a conviction that is rather appropriate for each one of us.

As surprising as it may seem, people do fall away from their faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t know much of the actual circumstances of the folks to whom the Letter to the Hebrews was written, but we do know that they were facing difficulties and dangers of some rather harrowing sort. And so its author counsels them to hold fast with their faith and not waiver when things get bad. In fact, he quotes Psalm 95, the psalm we know as the Venite, where another group of people did just that, wavered in their faith, and so lost out big time. So, he tells us not to be like them. Surely it is a good warning.

It is a sad commentary on the fickleness and instability of the human condition that even the most noteworthy and praise-worthy of individuals sometimes have massive flaws, and sometimes, after a lifetime of seemingly flawless ‘performance’, are found to have massive flaws. Why, even King David, a ‘man after God’s own heart’, is shown in the Scriptures to fail and fall, and do so spectacularly.

And so the advice of today’s psalm, namely to know and abide by God’s word and commandments, is most appropriate and needed, for all of us, no matter how ‘well’ we do, can slip at times. And so, by hanging on to His word and adhering to it, we can better walk upright and sure in our daily lives.

The people that the Letter to the Hebrews was written to were probably Jewish Christians, people who had been brought up within Judaism and who had been taught to accept, and embrace, many of its traditions and practices as normative--and even, as required. The Temple and its sacrifices and its Head Priest, for instance, or Moses: they would have seen all of these as fundamental. And so, our author has something of an ‘uphill’ battle when he tries to convince them that Jesus is better, superior, to all of them.

With us today, God doesn’t have these obstacles to surmount, but interestingly, there are others that are just as ingrained and tenacious. Our trust and dependence in technology for instance, or in science, or in government, or in our financial and educational institutions. Or our dependence in material things. Or our reliance upon our own ideas and resources and our lamentable habit of always ‘falling back’ on these. And so, thinking of Jesus first, and putting Him first, and depending upon Him, doesn’t always come easily for us either.

But, nevertheless, as we plunge into a new year, it is a good idea to ponder, and hopefully, to implement.

What a difference this makes! Here I think of the perplexities that I often face with my computer and how it works--or doesn’t work. I sometimes go to my boys for help, but while this usually solves the problem, it often doesn’t help me in the long run. They manage to fix the problem so easily and quickly--with just a few strokes--that I am still baffled. What really helps is when someone comes along side me and coaches me along as I fix the problem myself. What a difference this makes.

Well, that is exactly what our Saviour has done. Rather than ‘fix the problem’ in a few strokes, He has come along side us--as one of us--and chosen to coach us through life. And that He has already faced that problem and solved it Himself, makes Him all the more approachable and understanding and able to help us. That is the kind of God and Saviour that we have. Thanks be to God.

Almost everything becomes easier and less stressful, less traumatic, if it is handled in the company of someone else. I remember what a difference it made when I went in for my first haircut--I was pretty old by this point, probably 3-4 years old--and was utterly convinced that it was going to hurt big time. That’s because I figured that my hair was part of my body, and that any other time that I’d cut myself, it hurt. But my Dad stood beside me in the barber’s chair, and that made it all so much easier.

In a sense, that is exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ has done with us. He stood beside us in His earthly life, suffering the same hurts and disappointments and temptations--even to the point of getting baptized with everyone else around Him--even though He didn’t need to. He was willing to ‘be tarred with our brush’, as it were, in order to be with us.

To me, that is pretty fantastic--and pretty reassuring as well. it means that there is nothing in our lives, in general terms at least, that He has not already been through--and dealt with successfully. And so, what an immense comfort and help that is!

I think that today’s passage from Isaiah is rather appropriate for us in our world today. Its original audience felt themselves ‘trapped’, uncertain, and fearful given their present situation in Babylonian exile. We today may feel just as uncertain and fearful due to global tensions, political wrangling closer to home, and looming questions in terms of health care and emergent illnesses. And we too may feel ‘trapped’, feeling powerless and unable to do anything about our situations.

And yet, in Israel’s original situation, God’s promise came through, ‘in spades.’ Israel was returned from its exile and the ruined city of Jerusalem and its Temple were rebuilt, in glorious fashion. What seemed to be impossible actually happened. God was indeed there and was indeed at work.

And so can it be for us today as well. Neither you nor I know exactly what the future holds, but we do know that the Lord is in it, and that it will be glorious. And so, we can be full of hope, and can trust God with our lives, and our futures, knowing that He’s got it all under control.

Today’s meditation is what, for me at least, something of a ‘wake up’ call. It calls into question what or who we choose to put our trust in. Do we put our trust in our possessions--including, by the way, our bank accounts or pensions or retirement funds? Or do we put our trust in government or in our community or in our churches? Or do we put our trust in our family and friends? Or, more to the point for myself: do we put our trust in ourselves and in our own abilities, knowledge and experience? I dare say that I often fall into the latter category, often without even thinking about it. Relying upon myself just seems to ‘come naturally’. But, what it means ultimately, is that we are not placing our trust and dependence upon Almighty God, upon Jesus, in quite the way that we should. Anyway, here is something to think about.

There are many people in the Scriptures that we can identify with, and commiserate with, people who endured hardship, sorrow, temptation, doubt and a myriad of other stressors. But, one person in particular that we should feel a link with is David, the legendary king of Israel. In his storied life he went through a great deal, and this is made all the more ‘accessible’ to us given that he wrote psalms that reflected what he was going through and his state of mind therein. And so, we can readily tap into his feelings, especially when they seem to mirror our own. Today’s psalm, Psalm 34, reflects upon one of those difficult times, one in which he learned to lean upon the help and providence of God. And, in that, he constitutes a good example of us, especially as we face this new, totally unfamiliar, and rather bizarre New Year.

So, here we are at the very start of a brand new year. No wonder the Roman god, Janus, after whom this month is named, was depicted as having two faces, one facing backward and one facing forward. Isn’t that just what life is like just now: we think back and reflect on the year that has just slipped from our grasp, and we look forward to the new, totally unexplored and untested new year.

In doing the latter, our attitude, our mind-set, is crucial for how the new year will play out. Will our focus be upon ourselves, or on our own goals and objectives, or on what we can do for someone else, the church or the wider community perhaps, or will it be somewhere else?

The apostle Paul suggests that our attitude or mind-set should not be on ourselves at all--that we should have a new and different attitude or mind-set that is not ours at all, not inwardly focused at all, but a new and radically different one, namely that of Jesus Christ. In today’s passage, he invites us to let this mind, this way of thinking, be in us. And, in his letter to the Romans (Romans 12:2), he implores us to let God renew or change our minds, the way that we think--so they are more in line with how Christ thought.

To me, this sounds like a wise, and rather wonderful, way of beginning this New Year. Happy New Year to each of you.

Much has been said of late about the question of ‘privilege’, but usually only in a secular, societal sense. Sadly, this leads out a very significant part of the equation, which has to do with the privileges that we have as friends, followers and disciples of the Lord Jesus. We have such mighty privileges that all the other ones pale in comparison. And, part of that ‘spiritual’ privilege that we have is exercising faith, trusting in Jesus, and choosing to work alongside Him in changing and shaping our world for the better. It is those two things, namely our faith and our choices, that are touched on by the two meditations that I’m passing on to you today.

Much has been said of late about the question of ‘privilege’, but usually only in a secular, societal sense. Sadly, this leads out a very significant part of the equation, which has to do with the privileges that we have as friends, followers and disciples of the Lord Jesus. We have such mighty privileges that all the other ones pale in comparison. And, part of that ‘spiritual’ privilege that we have is exercising faith, trusting in Jesus, and choosing to work alongside Him in changing and shaping our world for the better. It is those two things, namely our faith and our choices, that are touched on by the two meditations that I’m passing on to you today.

We may not agree with David’s self-assessment, namely of his innocence and his faithfulness in keeping God’s law--as depicted in today’s psalm, Psalm 18--but we can certainly identify with his feeling of being in a dark and difficult place. And, likewise, we can agree with him that we are loved by God, and that our only hope, and help, is going to come from God. Of those things, we can be quite certain.

Today’s Scripture passage underscores one of the Bible’s most consistent messages, namely that God yearns for a restored relationship with us, and so He goes to extreme lengths to achieve it. In the life, death and resurrection, it became possible, though in a somewhat limited way, and in the church, it became more fully evident. But it isn’t until we experience the new heaven and the new earth that it is fully realized. Then the dwelling place of God is fully with us, no ifs, ands or buts, with no barriers or hindrances. So, that is something that we can look forward to--and enjoy, even if only in a more limited scope, right here and now. Let us, then, do our utmost to enter into that. Amen.

Today’s passage and meditation touch on what is, for many people, quite a touchy subject, namely sin. Many people, my own dear father included, dislike the word because they feel that it implies that they are nasty, evil people who do no good in the world. Dad used to say, “I’m not perfect, but I’m no sinner either.” That’s because the word ‘sin’ and ‘sinner’ have taken on a very pejorative negative connotation, which is not at all true of its Biblical meaning. The main word for sin, hamartia, simply means to ‘miss the mark’, that is, to fall short of what God expects and demands of us. It’s another way of saying that we aren’t perfect, that we don’t bat 1,000. And so a person can be a ‘very good person’ by society’s standards and do all sorts of ‘good’ things, and still be a sinner, still have sin in his or her life. That is, because, sin, at its very root, is choosing to abide by our own counsels and thinking and agenda rather than by God's. In other words, not submitting to His will and guidance. And so, what we do may well be good and wholesome and beneficial, but not necessarily what God would want or what God directed. And, if we accidentally get it right, do what God wants without actually asking for His advice or intentionally being directed by Him, is that sin? I’m not quite sure. Anyway, I think that it is probably better to ask Him anyway, rather than to assume or presume so.

Today’s Scripture passage and meditation put us in mind, not only of what we would die for, but also what we actually live for. Stephen certainly died for his faith in Jesus Christ, but he also lived for what Jesus lived and taught, namely that God was doing a new thing, a new thing that wasn’t limited by the limited understandings of us mortal human beings, or even our past history and experiences, but, at the same time, was predicted and spoken of in the Scriptures and lived out in the life of Jesus. And, so it meant that Stephen, unlike us at times, was not bound by his or his people’s past, but was continually alive to Christ and His new way. As we approach this New Year, may we be of a like mind.