Notes from the Wayside: Perspective: New Year's Reminders

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New Year's Reminders

I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12-13 (CEB)

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

From "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds
(Based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

For more than six years, I have used the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings as my Bible reading plan. The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of Bible passages that is used by many churches.¹ In the Daily Readings, three or four passages are listed for each day: a Psalm or another poem from the Hebrew Bible, another passage from the Hebrew Bible, and one or two New Testament Passages. Every day, I read one of the passages listed for the day, and I record my thoughts in my journal. If two or more days have successive passages, I might read all of them at once.

I've noticed that for all three years in the Lectionary cycle, the same four familiar passages are listed for New Year's Day. This year, I thought it would be good idea to take a look at each of them and consider what threads might be running through them and what kind of message they might offer us at the beginning of a new year.

"A Time for Every Matter" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-13)

The first of the four passages tells us something about the nature of time itself. In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, which was made popular when it was set to music by the Byrds, we read that "for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." For example, there is "a time to be born, and a time to die." There is "a time to weep, and a time to laugh." There is "a time for war, and a time for peace."² Every season, whether it is good or bad, inevitably comes to an end, and then another season begins.

"A Little Lower Than God" (Psalm 8)

The second passage, the Eighth Psalm, reminds us of the purpose of humanity. One night, the Psalmist David looks up at the sky and sees the moon and the stars, and he begins to feel small and insignificant. "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" he asks God. He then remembers the story of creation and proclaims, "Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet..."³

The creation stories in the Bible tell us that God created human beings in the very Image of God so that they may steward and cultivate everything else God has created.⁴ To bear the Image of God is to resemble God in some way. One thing human beings share in common with God is the power to make an impact on the world. In other words, God has given humanity the authority to continue God's creative work by shaping the world God created.

"The Least of These" (Matthew 25:31-46)

The remaining two passages take us beyond this current age and into the age to come.

Toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story about His future return to earth to reign as King. People of all nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He will turn to those on His right, the "sheep," and say, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." When they ask Him when they ever saw Him in need and helped Him, He will say, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."⁵

The King will then turn to those on His left, the "goats," and say, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." When they ask Him when they ever saw Him in need and neglected to help Him, He will say, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."⁶

This story reminds us that there are consequences for how we use our God-given power to make an impact on the world around us - or how we fail to use it. We can make the world a better place for the people around us; we can make the world a worse place for the people around us; or we can sit on our hands and do nothing at all. This story also reminds us that, whatever we choose to do, Christ takes personally how we treat people who are in need.

"All Things New" (Revelation 21:1-6a)

At the end of Revelation, we read another vision of the age to come. We read that heaven and earth are made new, that the holy city descends from heaven to earth, and that God takes up residence with humanity. God wipes away people's tears, and mourning, crying, pain, and death come to an end. God announces, "See, I am making all things new."⁷ In this vision of the future, we see that God's intention is to redeem this broken world and to bring an end to suffering.

Knowing God's intention for the future of this world should affect the choices we make in the world today. Notice that, in the previous passage, the people who alleviated the suffering of others are rewarded, while the people who did nothing to help the suffering are punished.

So what do these four passages have to say to us at the beginning of a new year? They remind us that, in whatever season we find ourselves, as human beings we have the God-given power and authority to make an impact on the world around us, and they remind us that God calls us to use whatever influence we have to alleviate the suffering of others. The seasons change, but our purpose remains the same.

Notes:

The Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings can be found here: http://www.commontexts.org/publications/
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NRSV)
Psalm 8:3-6 (NRSV)
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:7-8, 15
Matthew 25:31-40 (NRSV)
Matthew 25:41-46 (NRSV)
Revelation 1:1-5 (NRSV)

The photograph of the calendar has been released to the public domain. The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.