The time between Christmas and New Years is a good time to reflect.
To reflect on the past year, and to contemplate the future.
Janua, which is the start of the word January means a door or a window that allows a person to look both ways.
So no wonder it was chosen to be the first month of the year.
And the start of the year is a great opportunity to do that,
we look back to where we have been and forward to where we are going.
And even if we wanted to avoid it we probably can’t at this time of the year with newspapers and television have splatterings of features that focus on the events of the past.
And in a few days time people will be making New Years resolutions about the future,
or praying for something to happen or not happen in the future.
And it was in a similar context that the prophet Isaiah speaks in the reading we read earlier.
Now it wasn’t a new year that Isaiah the prophet was speaking into, it was a new beginning.
Put yourself in the picture.
The once glorious people of Israel,
had been prisoners for some time in the foreign land of Babylon.
There were basically two problems in being forced to live in Babylon for the Israelites.
They were away from the place where they could worship God, and secondly they were encouraged to worship other gods.
Now they have returned home.
They had just been released and have returned to the area where they had been take from.
However their home looks very little like it was.
Instead of being active and bright, it is gloomy.
The people have scars from their time as slaves.
The city needs a good renovation, one of those television renovation rescue teams would be handy.
There is rubble, and cracks all over the place.
Once prosperous families are now struggling, but glad to be back home.
Ever been in that situation?
Found yourself going back to something that was once marvelous but is now not so good?
Well there is another part to the story.
And we get a perspective of this story from Isaiah.
It would have been easy for the Israelites to focus on the negative,
however the prophet Isaiah and the Israelite community focused on something else.
And I invite you to open the pew bibles to Isaiah 63:7-9 and lets read it together.
(Burnie page 782, Devonport 589, Launceston page 749).
(pause and wait for most people to find it)
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the LORD has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done
for the house of Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, "Surely they are my people,
sons who will not be false to me";
and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
What did you notice?
God at work?
People highlighting that God is at work caring for them.
People highlighting that everything good was a result of God’s being active in their life..
Even when life is difficult the people highlight how many good things God has been doing.
How we remember things,
how we view the past
and how we share the events and things of the past are important.
They can in fact help us as individuals and us as a community move forward.
Despite what had happened,
when the Israelites looked at their past,
their focus was not on the negative things rather they were aware of how much God had been at work.
Amongst all their troubles they saw that many good things occurred.
They realised that this was because God had been active.
As you approach New Years Eve and reflect on the past year,
or even the past years can you see how God has been working, a good question to ask yourself and tell others about is;
‘How has God been active in my life, this community and the wider community?’
What good things has God been up to?’
This is surely something to thank God for.
God is constantly active.
God is constantly doing good among us,
Sometimes we realise God is at work and sometimes we don’t.
But God is always at work.
Now focusing on the good things God has done,
is not about ignoring the negative events of the past,
but it is about putting them in perspective and when we follow God’s ways it is about leaving them in the past.
One of the interesting features of God that we discover as we read scripture is that the negative events of the past are mentioned, for three main reasons.
One reason is to warn us. Whilst you would think this would be the most popular reason of why God mentions the past, as you dive deeper into scripture there appears to be two more important reasons.
God mentions the negative past, especially our difficulties to highlight how He has been actively with us, helping us through difficult times,
and the remarkable thing even if we have caused or partly caused the problems he still wants to help us through them.
Listen again to verse 9
9 In all their distress he (ie. God) too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
Remember every difficulty you have encountered,
God is there wanting to help.
And the other reason, is connected to this second reason.
In God mentioning the negative past he does so in order to help us deal with the negative events and things that we continue to hold onto so they don’t continue to affect how we live and relate to others.
A key part of God helping us leave the negative events behind is,
God helping us to go out of the way to seek forgiveness from Him and
seek forgiveness from others,
It may also involve God helping us to go out of our way to offer forgiveness.
Without God’s intervention the negative events of our past will continue to haunt and control our lives.
God doesn’t want that but Satan does.
One of the unfortunate realities of the world we live in is that it loves remembering bad events and holding bad things against people.
If you want to test this out, for the next week as you read the paper recall how many bad things they mention and how many good things they mention.
As a result of this approach to life,
we are quick to judge others.
We tend to see life from the principles that
everyone must pay for their mistakes and actions,
that we get what we deserve,
We tend to think that if someone treats us badly, we too should treat them badly or not as pleasantly as we have.
There is a big problem with such an approach to life.
It allows the negative events of the past to influence and determine how we live.
It allows the negative instances of our life to determine how we see ourselves and others.
To put it plainly this is not God’s way.
God’s approach to life is far different.
In fact many would say it is radically different.
Jesus looks at us and without any conditions offers us grace.
That is God’s reality of life.
God delivers forgiveness into our lives
and forgiveness delivers a different approach to life and looking at people.
Often when we think of forgiveness we think about being released from sin in the future, just before we enter heaven.
However God also wants us to be freed from sin now.
With forgiveness no longer are we bound to look at the past from what we have done or not done, or what others have done,
but rather we look at our lives from what God is doing.
Think about the difference this makes.
When we see God active in our lives we recognise that everything good is the result of God being active.
Every single thing good that has happened in your life is God at work.
Even when our lives are messy, God is at work helping us.
That is something surely to praise God for.
So how do we see life when confronted by difficulties and challenges?
One way is to look for God to be active in helping us through such difficulties.
By praying and trusting Him.
And when we see others encountering difficulties,
we are encouraged to run to them rather than away from them as being part of God’s team.
Remember God uses us so he can help others.
And when we have troubles from our past that still bother us and affect how we relate to others
God calls us to trust Him.
God calls us to let go of these things and stop allowing them control how we relate to others.
God in fact calls us to seek His forgiveness,
to offer forgiveness to others and to allow His Holy Spirit to help us live in ways that reflect God’s love.
So whilst it is true that God loves us as he finds us, warts and all,
we also need to remember that God is constantly active in our lives.
God is always attempting to take us away from destructive and sinful living based on the past,
to living in ways that reflect God’s love and the future He has in mind for us and all people.
As Galatians 2 verse 20 says Christ lives in us.
And living God’s way means God is at work in us.
So as you reflect on the year gone and contemplate the year to come,
think about how God has been active in your life and the life of the entire community.
Praise Him for all the good things.
Don’t keep it to yourself but tell others about all the good things God has been doing.
And if there are things troubling you from the past,
whether they be something you have done or something that has been done to you
now is the time to allow God to deal with them so that you are no longer controlled by them.
Instead be influenced by God and His grace.
If you need help with this please speak to myself or one of our pastoral assistants.
As Isaiah reminds us
In His love and mercy God redeems us;
He lifts us up and carries us all the days of old.
Let us pray
AMEN
