It’s that time of year once again. December 31st brings reflections on a year that is ending. There may be anticipation mixed with some anxiety for a new year that is just beginning. Whether you have plans for a “count-down” party with corks popping or flipflops dropping (Folley Beach) at midnight, or if you will be in bed by 8:00 p.m. tonight there is one thing many millions of us will do. Surveys say that a sizable number of people have already made or will be making New Year’s resolutions—or goals for the new year.
A survey taken last year revealed that 37% of Americans said they had a goal or a resolution they wanted to achieve in 2023. 87% said they were very or somewhat likely to keep it through the year. However, the average resolution lasts just under 4 months. (That actually seems longer than I would have expected.) So, truth be told, the reality is that in just a month or two, many of these New Year’s goals, resolutions, and habits will have been forgotten about or we’ll just give up on them.
So, if we still want to make resolutions today, and many of us will, how can we do better at making changes that will last? This week I received an e-newsletter from an organizational instructor that listed “7 Mistakes to Avoid When You Set New Year’s Goals for 2024. The man’s name is Dean Bokhari. Anyway, this is his list. 1. You’re setting too many new year’s goals. That makes sense. We have to keep it simple. 2. You’re aiming too high, or too low. 3. You’re not setting deadlines for your new year’s goals. 4. You’re not keeping your goals visible. That reminds me of what have been called SMART goals. 5. You’re setting resolutions (rather than goals or habits). 6. You’re not creating contingency plans. 7. Your goals aren’t anchored to strong beliefs. There is a great deal of practical advice in looking at each of those mistakes if we really want to keep our New Year’s resolutions.
What if I told you that I know of a way to overcome all 7 of those mistakes. Does that sound impossible? Using our Second Reading from Colossians 3 we can learn God’s way of making changes in our lives in 2024. One phrase summarizes the life you and are called to live in the new year. And that same phrase reveals the key real change in our lives. We are told:
“DO EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS”
I. Be clothed with Jesus’ perfect love
II. Let Jesus’ peace rule in your heart
III. Let Jesus’ Word fill your mind
Of course, we don’t have time during our sermon to summarize the whole Letter to the Colossians. But before bringing up Christian living the Apostle Paul spent the first half of his letter laying the foundation of the faith. The Colossians needed to get back to the truth about Jesus. The life-giving words of Jesus would keep them strong in the faith and healthy in their Christian living. That is why they needed to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly. It was to be their constant companion.
I.
Our Second Reading for today began with a list of all that comes from the perfect love found in Christ. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” That’s what it looks like to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” We clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We wear forgiveness like a bodysuit! And we put on love.
But we each have a big problem. We have the filthy rags of sin on us. That’s the easy outfit that our sinful nature wants to wear. Instead of compassion there is unfair judgment. We love to put on unkindness, pride, roughness, and impatience! When we look into the mirror of God’s LAW we see our old self clearly. In each of us there is an “old Adam” or an “old Eve” that wants to love itself first and everyone else can get in line after us.
So exactly how do we put off our old sinful self? Martin Luther stated it well in his Small Catechism, “…our Old Adam with his evil deeds and desires should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and die, and that day by day a new man should arise, as from the dead, to live in the presence of God in righteousness and purity now and forever.” We have been clothed in the holiness of Jesus through our baptism. But baptism did not rid us of our sinful nature. He or she still rises up to sin against God. So, every day we must hold our old Adam or old Eve under God’s wrath. We can’t let our sinfulness breathe or see the light of day in our lives. But we are to let our new nature—the one given to us in baptism—rise up and take a deep breath of God’s mercy and forgiveness so we are empowered to live a new life.
Every moment of every day in 2024 we need to look at ourselves and ask what spiritual clothes we are wearing. Each of us is wearing the perfection and holiness of Jesus. The Bible says that because you have been “baptized into Christ [you] have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The prophet Isaiah used a picture of the borrowed holiness you both wear in words very appropriate for a wedding ceremony, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)
To “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” requires that we are clothed with Jesus’ perfect love. I would say that one of the best descriptions of that perfect love is found in what has been called the “love chapter” of the Bible—1 Corinthians 13. You’ll probably recognize these verses from the last wedding you attended. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4–8a) Anyone who has been married understands how impossible that kind of love is for any of us. But that is exactly what Jesus’ perfect love is like. And so, in order to love like that we need to be clothed with Jesus’ love. Again and again we confess how our love falls short. And over and over again we take Jesus’ love into ourselves through the Word and Sacrament.
II.
In our service this morning we are focusing on one of the many blessings that are a part of our celebration of Christmas. The theme of our service is “Peace on Earth.” This gives us the opportunity to talk about what kind of peace Jesus brings us. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” And how exactly do we let Jesus’ peace rule in our hearts? We continue to grow in our relationship with him. We deepen it and broaden it. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Going into a new year that is exactly what we need. What will happen in our world, in our nation, in our lives? It seems like 365 days of fear and uncertainty await us in 2024. But Jesus offers us peace. He goes with us. He promises that he will work everything out for our eternal good.
It’s also important to point out the kind of peace we should expect in the new year. Will there be peace in Israel and Ukraine? We can pray for that and hope for that. But there is no guarantee. The peace Jesus brings is peace between sinners and a holy God. Romans 5:1 describes it this way, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
III.
I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that in this verse the Apostle Paul focused on the heart and soul of a congregation’s ministry. One of the main things Christians gather together to do is to grow in faith. They do that as they learn more about God through his Word and as they keep their sinful nature in check through that same Word. “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.” The word of Christ is not to be an occasional visitor in the Christian’s heart. That word is to live there constantly and never leave.
Friends in Jesus let’s look honestly at the Apostle Paul’s directive in light of our lives. Are we letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom? With our regular Bible classes, the midweek Bible classes, and the many other things we have none of us has an excuse for not growing in faith. But are we making excuses or are we taking full advantage of what is offered so that the word of Christ dwells in us richly?
Perhaps teaching and growing in faith by learning God’s Word isn’t as big a challenge for our congregation as admonishing one another. We live at a time when we are told to mind our own business. Those outside and even some inside the Christian church seem to be saying that today we shouldn’t admonish others. “Who are you to judge others?” some will say. If the word of Christ is dwelling in us richly, we will share what we learn with one another. If the word of Christ is dwelling in us richly, we will admonish each other because any sin among us will stand out like a sore thumb.
In our homes God’s Word tells us how to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another. Think of the directive the LORD gave to parents in Israel concerning the Commandments, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you like down and when you get up.” In the New Testament God gives this directive, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Those are just two examples of how we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in our family life. But are we following God’s command? Between husbands and wives, between parents and children, and between children and their siblings we are to teach and admonish.
As is so often the case with Scripture we hear the LAW and GOSPEL in the same verse. We are led to confess our sins. We have at times pushed the word of Christ aside. But thankfully Christ hasn’t taken his word from us. We are now motivated to once again grow in faith through it as we teach and admonish one another.
The second thought that the Apostle Paul brings to our attention deals with our worship. In our private and public worship we are to let the word of Christ dwell among us richly. Hear his words again. “Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and …as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” It didn’t take long for the first Christians to develop patterns for their worship. Like the worship in the synagogues Christians used the Old Testament Psalms as part of their worship. They also wrote hymns and spiritual songs. But everything they did at worship was based solidly on the truth’s of God’s Word. They let the word of Christ dwell in them richly.
The pattern for worship that the Apostle Paul sets out for us is really what we see throughout the Scriptures. Think of how believers in the Old Testament used God’s Word both to prompt their worship and as the content of their worship. After crossing the Red Sea Moses and the Israelites sang a song of praise to the LORD. After Hannah received the son that God had promised her, she used God’s Word to offer him a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. In the New Testament we hear Mary speak a similar hymn of praise when she was told she would be the mother of the Messiah. Think of how Zechariah spoke a similar hymn of worship and praise when John the Baptist was born. And today in our Gospel Reading we heard Simeon’s song of praise that he spoke when he held baby Jesus in his arms. Throughout the letters of the New Testament, we have lines from early hymns of worship and praise that had been used by the early Christians. That is why our worship service is structured the way it is. From the invocation to the benediction our worship is based on and in the word of Christ.
At 4:00 pm on January 25, 1945 the city of Grand Rapids Michigan became the site of a research project. The results of the research begun that day are still having an impact on our nation. On that day Grand Rapids became the first city in the world to put fluoride in its municipal water system at a level that was optimal for preventing tooth decay. It was the beginning of a fifteen-year study by the U.S. Public Health Service to track the safety and effectiveness of maintaining a fluoride level in public drinking water of 1 part per million. Grand Rapids was selected for the experiment because its water supply had been consistently free of fluoride. It also was home to an ample school-age population (30,000 children) and the citizenry was willing to be a part of scientific history. Within one decade researchers were able to report a 60 percent decrease in the prevalence of tooth decay in the primary teeth of the children of Grand Rapids. They also noted a 35 percent reduction of tooth decay in the adults.
If only there were a similar way to care for our spiritual health and that of our children. Wouldn’t it be great to have something that would permeate our lives and prevent “truth decay” as some have said? The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians described just such a method for our spiritual health. “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Making resolutions at the beginning of a new year is nothing new. Samuel Johnson, an English writer and critic, and one of the most famous literary figures of the 18th century. His best-known work is his 'Dictionary of the English Language'. didn’t have any kids, but near the end of 1775, with 1776 on the horizon, Johnson wrote about this beautifully in his diary, “When I look back on resolutions of improvement and amendment which have year after year been made and broken, either by negligence, forgetfulness, vicious idleness, casual interruption, or morbid infirmity; when I find that so much of my life has stolen unprofitably away, and that I can descry by retrospection scarcely a few single days properly and vigorously employed, why do I yet try to resolve again? I try because reformation is necessary and despair is criminal.” “Reformation is necessary and despair is criminal.” I think we could adapt those words to our sermon today. Reformation in our lives is necessary every day. And yet, it’s impossible for us. But with Jesus this is possible. In this New Year he enables us to do everything in his Name. He clothes us with himself, he fills our hearts with his peace, and he pours his life-giving Word into our minds.
Let’s go back to the list of “7 Mistakes to Avoid When You Set New Year’s Goals for 2024 from Dean Bokhari. Anyway, this is his list. 1. You’re setting too many new year’s goals. That makes sense. We have to keep it simple. 2. You’re aiming too high, or too low. 3. You’re not setting deadlines for your new year’s goals. 4. You’re not keeping your goals visible. That reminds me of what have been called SMART goals. 5. You’re setting resolutions (rather than goals or habits). 6. You’re not creating contingency plans. 7. Your goals aren’t anchored to strong beliefs. There is a great deal of practical advice in looking at each of those mistakes if we really want to keep our New Year’s resolutions. But doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus answers all of those mistakes! We are ready and able to enter a new year clothed with Jesus’ perfect love, and with Jesus’ peace ruling in our hearts, and with Jesus’ Word filling our minds. Amen.
