So, What's New?
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God!
Opening Prayer
Eternal and Unchanging God, let the light of your presence shine on us today, making plain some answers to our questions, some assurance for our doubts, and some strength for our weakness. We confess the failures of our past, and we bring to you our hopes for this New Year. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
The words to this familiar carol were written by the great Methodist hymn writer, Charles Wesley. The original poem began, "Hark, how all the welkin rings, Glory to the King of kings." "Welkin" was an archaic word that meant "heavens" or "sky." Fourteen years later, Wesley changed this hymn to "Hark! The herald angels sing" to capture the glory and the joy of that first Christmas morning. The melody was written by the great composer Felix Mendelssohn. At 17, he composed his overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The melody for this carol was taken unaltered from the second movement of that composition.
Scripture Reading
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Meditation
How often when you meet someone does he or she say to you, "So, what's new with you?" And often we respond, "Oh, nothing much, really. How 'bout you?" But I cannot help wondering what would happen if we Christians here at the beginning of the New Year had the courage to say: "I'll tell you what's new -- it's the good news of what God has done for this world in Jesus Christ!" Wouldn't that be a startling change from the hackneyed "Happy New Year," or even the clever greeting a friend once gave me: "Pastor, may all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!"
So what is new about what God has done for this world in sending the Messiah, Jesus the Christ? Long before Jesus ever walked this earth, God's prophet Jeremiah had an inspired vision of a totally new age when the Messiah would come and God's Kingdom would be established on this earth.
Jeremiah envisioned that the Messiah's coming would mean a whole new beginning for those who trusted in the salvation the Christ would bring. This was no empty promise, such as "look on the bright side of things in the new year." There was a little boy who went to his first Little League baseball practice. His father asked how he made out, and he said, "The coach says I'm the best of the worst three!" That's having a positive attitude, but Jeremiah envisions something far more radical -- a complete change, a fresh start, a whole new beginning for those who will put their trust in God's redemption in Jesus Christ.
Jim was a business executive who up until a year ago had very little time for God or for the church. His career was all that mattered in his life. But knowing that he was missing something, he accepted a friend's suggestion to join him in a six-week study of the Bible during Lent. The group met each week for prayer and study, and Jim found he enjoyed the meetings. Then, on the last night together, the leader of the Bible study asked the group to share anything new in their lives as a result of their time together. To his own amazement, Jim found himself saying, "I am forgiven!" Tears began to flow down his cheeks as he added, "I know in my heart that Christ has forgiven me! I'm not the same person I was six weeks ago! I have a whole new life ahead of me!" What's new? Jeremiah says when the Messiah comes, people like us can have a whole new beginning.
More than that, Jeremiah envisioned not only a new start, but a whole new life in Christ. It is not just that in Christ God wipes the slate clean of our sinful past. In Christ, we can begin living in a whole new way -- in the way of love, truth, righteousness, peace, and justice. The Holy Spirit will help us become new people who live in a whole new way! I once was given a T-shirt that had a picture on it of an apple with a bite taken out of it. Above the apple was written, "Not Perfect." Below the apple were the words, "Just Forgiven." There is little question about our being "not perfect." That is your story and mine. But we are more in Christ than "just forgiven." In Christ we are new people, forgiven and renewed in a way that we can begin living a whole new life each day. That's good news -- probably the best news this old world has had for a very long time!
So when someone asks you, "What's new," next time why don't you tell the good news: In Jesus Christ, we can become a whole new person!
Closing Prayer
God of amazing grace, remind us afresh at the beginning of this new year that in Christ we can become new men and women, and that it is not too late to make real changes in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God!
Opening Prayer
Eternal and Unchanging God, let the light of your presence shine on us today, making plain some answers to our questions, some assurance for our doubts, and some strength for our weakness. We confess the failures of our past, and we bring to you our hopes for this New Year. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
The words to this familiar carol were written by the great Methodist hymn writer, Charles Wesley. The original poem began, "Hark, how all the welkin rings, Glory to the King of kings." "Welkin" was an archaic word that meant "heavens" or "sky." Fourteen years later, Wesley changed this hymn to "Hark! The herald angels sing" to capture the glory and the joy of that first Christmas morning. The melody was written by the great composer Felix Mendelssohn. At 17, he composed his overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The melody for this carol was taken unaltered from the second movement of that composition.
Scripture Reading
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Meditation
How often when you meet someone does he or she say to you, "So, what's new with you?" And often we respond, "Oh, nothing much, really. How 'bout you?" But I cannot help wondering what would happen if we Christians here at the beginning of the New Year had the courage to say: "I'll tell you what's new -- it's the good news of what God has done for this world in Jesus Christ!" Wouldn't that be a startling change from the hackneyed "Happy New Year," or even the clever greeting a friend once gave me: "Pastor, may all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!"
So what is new about what God has done for this world in sending the Messiah, Jesus the Christ? Long before Jesus ever walked this earth, God's prophet Jeremiah had an inspired vision of a totally new age when the Messiah would come and God's Kingdom would be established on this earth.
Jeremiah envisioned that the Messiah's coming would mean a whole new beginning for those who trusted in the salvation the Christ would bring. This was no empty promise, such as "look on the bright side of things in the new year." There was a little boy who went to his first Little League baseball practice. His father asked how he made out, and he said, "The coach says I'm the best of the worst three!" That's having a positive attitude, but Jeremiah envisions something far more radical -- a complete change, a fresh start, a whole new beginning for those who will put their trust in God's redemption in Jesus Christ.
Jim was a business executive who up until a year ago had very little time for God or for the church. His career was all that mattered in his life. But knowing that he was missing something, he accepted a friend's suggestion to join him in a six-week study of the Bible during Lent. The group met each week for prayer and study, and Jim found he enjoyed the meetings. Then, on the last night together, the leader of the Bible study asked the group to share anything new in their lives as a result of their time together. To his own amazement, Jim found himself saying, "I am forgiven!" Tears began to flow down his cheeks as he added, "I know in my heart that Christ has forgiven me! I'm not the same person I was six weeks ago! I have a whole new life ahead of me!" What's new? Jeremiah says when the Messiah comes, people like us can have a whole new beginning.
More than that, Jeremiah envisioned not only a new start, but a whole new life in Christ. It is not just that in Christ God wipes the slate clean of our sinful past. In Christ, we can begin living in a whole new way -- in the way of love, truth, righteousness, peace, and justice. The Holy Spirit will help us become new people who live in a whole new way! I once was given a T-shirt that had a picture on it of an apple with a bite taken out of it. Above the apple was written, "Not Perfect." Below the apple were the words, "Just Forgiven." There is little question about our being "not perfect." That is your story and mine. But we are more in Christ than "just forgiven." In Christ we are new people, forgiven and renewed in a way that we can begin living a whole new life each day. That's good news -- probably the best news this old world has had for a very long time!
So when someone asks you, "What's new," next time why don't you tell the good news: In Jesus Christ, we can become a whole new person!
Closing Prayer
God of amazing grace, remind us afresh at the beginning of this new year that in Christ we can become new men and women, and that it is not too late to make real changes in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
