2nd Christmas Sunday
[Text]
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 147:12-20
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:[1-9] 10-18
[Message]
New Year blessings to each one of you, holy and beloved ones!
Do you have a New Year’s resolution? We all have opportunities for a new start, not just in the beginning of each year, but each month, each week, each day, or even any given moment.
In order to get off to a good start in a certain time-frame, having goals helps. Goals provide purpose and meaning in life. Appealing goals keep us motivated and help us stay focused. And in order to set reachable goals, we need to be honest with ourselves, acknowledge our limitations, and hold ourselves accountable. We know that setting goals is one thing, and achieving them is another.
As people of faith, what would you say about the goal of God’s redemption plan? This divine plan unfolds gradually from the book of Genesis to Revelation, revealing God's love, justice, mercy, and sovereignty. It continues unfolding even at the moment on this day. How is this divine plan going? From our perspective, is it a reachable goal to God? And who is going to hold God accountable to this redemption plan?
According to the Bible, God gives the birth of the world, including the birth of humanity as Adam and Eve who are formed and given life by God's breath. The conflict between God and Satan, known as fallen angels, soon contaminates human nature. In order to resolve the constant and endless rebellion of human nature, God has been working faithfully by following through this divine plan.
The Father (the first Person of the Trinity) oversees the whole redemption plan. The Son (the second Person of the Trinity) is God incarnate. And the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) assists Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them. God’s intention behind the redemption plan is to be with His holy and beloved ones forever and ever.
For sure, God has it all together and is holding themselves accountable, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are willing to go as far as the most humiliating death on the cross so that every broken relationship caused by the rebellion of human nature can be restored and healed.
The main challenge is whether humans are willing to go as far as possible to reach the same goal, to be with God forever and ever. Another way to put it is, do all humans want to be together, belonging to God forever and ever?
By human nature, no one wants to be excluded because that’s not what God has created us to be. As I was preparing myself for 2025 during Advent, I relearned the deep meaning of the word 'belonging.' Shawn A. Ginwright in his book, the Four Pivots, wrote:
"Belonging is the capacity to see the humanity in those that are not like us and to recognize that the same elements that exist within them also exist within us. It means that we have to see the humanity in others, EVEN IF they refuse to see the same in us. Yeah, belonging is really hard work, and the capacity to see the humanity in those that are not like us is perhaps one of the most powerful practices we need to cultivate. It is a way of constructing an imagined connection, a kinship, an identity that allows us to make sense of the world that is both real and imagined. But it requires that we see the myth in us versus them." (P. 15.)
Have we refused to see humanity in those who dislike us or are unlike us?
Seeing humanity in others EVEN IF they refuse to see the same in us! WOW! It can only be done out of godly and holy love - AGAPE. We do see this godly and holy love incarnated in Jesus Christ who is the one making God known to humanity. Jesus demonstrated this kind of belonging that is what God’s kingdom is about.
Last Sunday, I mentioned that our connection with God and with each other is like the wings on both sides of a butterfly. God is the center of everything. By connecting with God, we partner with each other to fly, fly with a clear purpose and meaning. Each time, we depart with love and compassion, fly with kindness and humility, and land well with meekness and patience. With the kind of belonging that Ginwright describes, seeing humanity in others, EVEN IF they refuse to see the same in us, everything we do and say in ministries should be bound by love in perfect harmony.
Connecting with God through Jesus Christ certainly can help us get off to a good start each year, each month, each week, each day, or even each moment. Because only God can replenish the light of Christ in us when we are weary and lost. And only by being replenished with the light of Christ, we can reflect the same light outwardly to those who are also weary and lost.
J. I. Packer, a British-born Canadian Christian theologian, in his book “Knowing God”, clarifies the differences between knowing about God and knowing of God. Knowing about God is having knowledge about God; knowing of God is having a personal relationship with God. Both are important, but knowing of God speaks to a deeper and more personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When we know God intimately, the light of Christ within us becomes even more inviting and visible to those are weary and lost.
If someone were to ask what it is like to participate in the divine redemption plan, I would express that it is a profoundly enriching and transformative experience. My hope and prayer is that you might share your own journey of partnering with God and how your relationship with God deepens and flourishes with each passing day. May God bless each one of you and your beloved ones. From the fullness of our Lord Jesus Christ, grace upon grace, may we make God known to those who are weary and lost.
A Prayer for the New Year:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we thank You for Your incredible redemption plan. Thank You for inviting us to be a part of this work of restoration. Help us to start each day with a heart aligned with Your will, full of love, grace, and mercy. Empower us through Your Spirit to live out this calling, so that we may reflect Your light to the world. May Your Kingdom come, and may Your will be done, in and through us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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