A. Happy New Year!! Welcome to 20-23!
B. Let’s start with a little New Year’s humor:
1. What do cows say on Jan. 1? "Happy Moo Year!"
2. What was Dr. Frankenstein’s new year’s resolution? To make new friends.
3. What new year’s resolution should a basketball player never make? To travel more.
4. What’s the easiest way to keep your New Year’s resolution to read more? Watch TV with subtitles.
5. Where can you practice multiplication tables on New Year's Eve? Times Square.
6. Why should you stand on just your right foot during the New Year's Eve countdown? So you start the New Year on the right foot.
C. Let’s start the new year on the right foot with a biblical perspective about time.
1. Let’s read some Scripture passages and consider the important truths they contain.
2. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Verse 11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human
heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
a. From these verses, we learn that God is in control of time and that there is a time and season for all things associated with our lives.
b. We also learn that God has set eternity in our hearts and that means that we have a sense that we have been made for something more than earthly life – we have a longing for God and for eternal life.
c. Sadly, far too many people try to fill that God-shaped hole with the things of this earthly life, but those things just don’t satisfy that longing.
3. James 4:13-15 says: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
a. These verses teach us not to be presumptuous about how much time we have in the future.
b. In reality, our lives are brief and fragile, like the midst that appears one minute and vanishes the next.
c. Our attitude and perspective must always express our humble dependance on God in whose hands is our very life.
4. Ephesians 5:15-16 says: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
a. Wisdom should cause us to value every moment and every day, and to seek to do good with every opportunity we are given.
5. Our perspective should be like Jesus’ perspective on time: Jesus said: As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9:4)
6. Another important truth about time that comes to us from Scripture is the need to be ready to meet the Lord, because His coming may happen at any moment.
a. When speaking of His second coming, Jesus said: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. (Mk. 13:32-33)
b. The apostle Paul wrote: Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thess. 5:1-3)
c. The apostle Peter wrote something similar: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:8-9)
D. With these Scriptures as a foundation, I would like to share some recent things that I experienced and read that speak to our need to treasure each moment, to have the right perspectives, and to seek to use the time God gives us to do good.
E. Perspectives from a Funeral.
1. Two weeks ago, on Saturday, Dec. 17, our brother in Christ, Freddie Triana died.
2. I was honored to be invited to the hospital and arrived just as the doctor pronounced his death.
3. The ICU room was full of his family: Melisa, Jaime, and Yimmy were there along with Freddie’s sister and brothers, and a few nieces and nephews.
4. I was blessed to read Scripture with them and pray for them during that most difficult moment.
5. We held the funeral for Freddie on the Wednesday before Christmas.
6. I have been honored to preside at the funeral of nearly 150 people – some of those people I had known very well and others I hadn’t known at all.
7. But every time I do a funeral, I learn so many things about the deceased person that I didn’t know before and I usually walk away feeling like I wish I had known them better while they were alive.
8. That was especially true of Freddie – I realized that Freddie had been worshiping with us for the past five years or so (which included these pandemic years), and I wish I had taken more time to really get to know Freddie and appreciate the full story of his life.
9. As I gathered stories about Freddie for the funeral and then when I heard what his family, friends, and students said about him at the funeral, I was inspired by his life’s story, including the wonderful story of how Freddie and Melisa’s romance and marriage began.
10. Our brother, Randy Stetson, knew Freddie very well and was asked to share something at the funeral. With Randy’s permission, I want to share what he wrote about Freddie:
Randy wrote: I’m grateful to be able to offer a few words today to honor my good friend Freddy Triana. Freddy and I had been best friends for the past 16 years. Having children of similar ages brought our families closer as our children grew up together and were involved in many of the same activities.
Freddy had several great qualities that made him easy to get along with, like his intelligence, and great sense of humor, just to mention a couple. But the qualities that endeared Freddy to me the most were his passions for teaching and for social justice. These were the two areas where Freddy and I shared a lot in common. We would spend hours talking about the intersection of these two areas.
Freddy was an educator and for most, if not all, of his teaching career, he taught at some of the most difficult and dangerous schools in the state. He used his skills to connect and serve youth from adverse backgrounds. Freddy invested a lot of time and energy into students who were deemed insignificant, not just by one but by multiple systems. Because of his demeanor with his students, he was able to make progress where others failed. One of his accomplishments, for example, was having the highest SAT algebra test pass rate among students in a NY State Office of Children and Family Services Detention Center. Freddy saw hope where others saw despair, a thing he had in common with his brother Ted, neither one gives up easily on people.
Freddy had great faith in God. He was able to overcome tremendous adversity in his own life with God’s strength and then used that experience to build a family and career that included God. In Proverbs 11:25 God promises that “The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” Freddy was both generous and concerned for the welfare of those marginalized by society. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Peace and blessings my friend!
a. I saw this quote on Facebook this week: “Be grateful for every second of every day that you get to spend with the people you love. Life is so very precious.”
b. How true that is: life is so very precious and life is so short and fragile.
c. We never know how long any of us will be here, so we need to treasure the moments and take advantage of the opportunities.
d. I want to encourage all of us to invest more deeply in relationships.
e. Let’s get to know each other and each other’s stories in a deeper and more complete way.
F. Perspectives from a Near-Death Experience.
1. On Tuesday of this past week, the Today Show did a follow-up story on a story they had reported on back in May.
2. It’s a story that fits well with today’s theme and has important lessons for us.
3. Back in May of this year, A 39 year old man named Darren Harrison was flying back from a fishing trip in the Bahamas when the pilot had a medical emergency and passed out.
a. The single-engine Cessna 208 began to nose dive at a rapid rate and Harrison jumped into action.
b. He moved the pilot out of the way and took control of the plane even though he had no piloting experience.
c. He said, “I was pretty calm and collected the whole time because I knew it was a life or death situation. Either you do what you have to do to control the situation or you’re gonna die. And that’s what I did.”
4. Harrison got ahold of an air traffic controller and said, “I’ve got a serious situation here, my pilot has gone incoherent and I have no idea how to fly the airplane.”
a. The controller asked what his position was and Harrison said, “I see the coast of Florida in front of me and I have no idea.”
b. Through careful guidance, the air traffic controller was able to guide Harrison to an airport, and him through the steps for landing.
c. The air traffic controller who guided Harrison is a part-time flight instructor and called Harrison his “best student ever.”
5. When Harrison safely landed the plane, he said, “Thank God!”
a. Harrison and his wife, Brittney were expecting their first child last summer and that was one thing that immediately hit him: He knew he had to live to be there for his child.
6. The today show did a follow up story with Harrison and his wife and their child this past Tuesday.
a. In the follow-up segment, Darren Harrison said that he and his wife are cherishing every second they have together as a family of three.
b. The near-death experience has given him a new appreciation for life, his family, and his friends.
c. He said, “Every time I see a friend now, I give them a hug – handshakes are gone. I am thankful to see people. I am thankful to have friends. I am thankful to be alive.”
7. This story speaks to the fragility of life and how things can change in an instant.
a. The story also illustrates how the “wake-up” calls that happen in our lives help to bring into focus what is most important about life.
b. Those “wake-up” calls help us to realize that we often take others and our relationships for granted, but how we need to be present and appreciative of our time with others, because none of us know how many more times we will have each other.
G. Perspectives from a Dying Man.
1. I want to end with an article that I read in our local paper a few weeks ago.
a. The article was originally published on November 26, 2022 in the Chicago Tribune, but I read it when it was republished in our Syracuse Post Standard on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.
2. The article is written by Gautam Dhingra who lives in Chicago with his wife, Ritu.
a. He was the co-founder and CEO of High Pointe Capital Management and an adjunct teacher at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he spearheaded education for the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Chicago as its chairman.
b. He earned his Bachelors of Commerce and his MBA in India, and then earned a Ph.D in Philosophy from the University of Florida.
3. His article begins: “You have many months to live,” my palliative care doctor told me recently. She must’ve thought that was more polite than saying “less than a year.” I have finally advanced to the stage predicted by my oncologist, who said seven years ago, “I’m thinking years, not months.”
I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 53 and expected to live for three years. Practical to a fault, I bypassed the first four stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining and depression — and embraced acceptance.
Ten days after the grim diagnosis, I wrote in my journal: My situation isn’t so bad because:
1. Everyone has to die someday. 2. We are fortunate to have good health insurance. 3. Our children are almost adults. 4. I can be content with what I’ve been able to do in my life. 5. I won’t suffer old age.
Some may call this rationalization. But it was my serenity prayer. Acceptance isn’t fatalism. In fact, the word “act” is hidden in plain sight within acceptance. It’s a call to convert trouble into tasks, which in our case included finding the right doctor, squaring away our financial affairs, shutting down our small business and regaining health insurance when we did.
My first doctor said the cancer had metastasized too far into my liver to be removed surgically. Not accepting this “death sentence,” my family and I sought a second opinion. The second doctor was a bit more optimistic. He put me on an aggressive chemo routine, but the initial results were discouraging. My body’s response to chemotherapy was “good but not good enough” to allow surgery. Neither he nor we were ready to give up. We switched to another chemotherapy and the next time he said, “We can do something.” Although it didn’t cure my cancer, that surgery brought me the gift of time.
Over the next six years, I endured three more surgeries, 90 rounds of chemotherapy and dozens of hospital visits in four cities. Along the way, I learned a few things about living with cancer.
First, it’s imperative to share your feelings with someone you love. For me, that person is my wife, Ritu. When I was feeling down, she didn’t say, “I’m sorry”; she simply held my hands and said, “You’ve been so brave. I’m here for you.” Her reassurance meant more to me than “everything is going to be OK” ever could.
Second, cancer ravaged me physically but cured my small mental stresses. I asked myself if I was happier before cancer, and the answer was “not much.” Before cancer, I found many reasons to be unhappy — stagnant business, family arguments, unfriendly neighbors, traffic jams. It took a tragedy to realize that I was wasting energy on things that were either unimportant or uncontrollable.
Third, cancer doesn’t have to be all-consuming. My biweekly chemotherapy lasted 48 hours. The next two days were filled with nausea and anxiety, which gave way to mouth sores and fatigue for a few more. By the end of the first week, my equilibrium was restored, and the second week was normal. My life was still good. I had learned to live for the second week.
Lately, even the second weeks have been rough. I’ve cycled through all effective treatments, spent all my holidays in the hospital and suffered debilitating pain. I am playing the cancer edition of Whac-A-Mole, where pesky creatures (tumors) emerge faster and faster until they finally overwhelm you. But, over time, I’ve whacked enough of them to enjoy daily walks, attend my children’s graduations and spend quality time with my family.
These satisfying moments are now accompanied by wistfulness about unreachable milestones, such as walking my daughter down the aisle, meeting my grandchildren and taking care of Ritu when she needs me.
But seven years of practicing acceptance has taught me not to lament what I cannot do but to ask what I should “do” with the limited time that remains. Ironically, I found the answer emblazoned on an old sweatshirt I own. Socrates: “To be is to do.” Jean-Paul Sartre: “To do is to be.” Frank Sinatra: “Do-be-do-be-do.” Never carefree enough to belong in the Rat Pack, I’ve been a lifetime member of the Sartre club. But now, I am content and thankful to join Socrates. For the rest of my life, just “to be” is enough for me! (End of the Article)
H. I was truly blown away by the right perspectives expressed in this article by Gautam Dhingra.
1. Nothing in the article speaks to any faith in God that he might hold, and I hope he does have a faith in God, and perhaps his amazing perspectives sprang from that faith.
I. As we see the new year ahead of us, I want to encourage us to embrace and practice some of the things Gautam learned from his battle with cancer.
1. First, he learned not to waste any time fighting against the reality of his situation.
a. He moved very quickly to acceptance which then helped him not focus on what he could not do, but to focus on what he could do.
b. I love his statement: Acceptance isn’t fatalism. In fact, the word “act” is hidden in plain sight within acceptance.
c. His philosophy was to “turn trouble into tasks” – ask “what can I do, and then do it.”
2. Second, he learned to share his feelings with someone he loves.
a. The lesson here is that we should never try to bear our burdens alone, but that we must find someone we can trust who we know loves us.
b. Relationships are so important and must be cultivated all the time, not just in times of trouble.
3. Third, he learned to be thankful and to search for ways to show gratitude.
a. Even with his grim diagnosis, he sought to find perspectives that would lead to positive thinking and expressions of gratitude.
b. When a person receives a terminal diagnosis, then a right perspective is that we all have a terminal diagnosis – all of us are going to die – most of us simply don’t know the how or when of our death.
c. He chose to focus on the fact that he wouldn’t have to suffer certain things that others will have to suffer, or that he had good insurance, or that his children were grown up and that he had already experienced a lot of things and had accomplished a lot of good things in his life.
I. As we live the rest of today, and any of the tomorrows the Lord allows, I want to encourage us to embrace these perspectives and commitments.
1. Let’s live with a heart fully devoted to loving God and bringing glory to God.
2. Let’s invest in relationships by loving others, seeking to know them, appreciating them and treasuring them.
3. Let’s practice gratitude by searching for things to be thankful for and taking nothing for granted.
4. Let’s do good with the time, talents and opportunities we have been given.
5. Let’s accept God’s decisions and provisions, and in the end, let’s just be content to be – to be the person God has made us to be in the situation God has allowed us to be in.
6. Finally, let’s live in the present and let’s be ready to meet our Maker at any moment, for none of us know the moment of our departure or the moment of Jesus’ return.
J. If you’re not yet a Christian, today would be a great day to profess your faith, repent and turn your life over to God, and be baptized into Christ.
1. If you’re already a Christian, then today would be a great day to renew your whole-hearted commitment to Christ and to your commitment to living life with God’s perspectives.
2. May God bless us all and draw us closer to Him in 2023!
Resources:
• https://www.today.com/news/news/darren-harrison-nosedive-interview-plane-rcna28928
• https://www.today.com/video/hero-passenger-reflects-on-near-death-experience-fatherhood-158825541836
• https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-months-to-live-cancer-acceptance-20221126-wksnd356gfcr5mbobpsphrzzjq-story.html
