I was on vacation with my family in the most delightful,low technology cottage on the planet. I spent the last week, watching old movies, knitting and drinking more chi tea than was good for me!
Nothing interesting happened until today on the drive home when my ridiculous lab puppy escaped from my car in the middle of a busy parking lot. It was a horrendous 7 minutes helplessly watching as a black blur dodged cars and to get as far away from her potential captors as possible. I was certain that the adorable pain in the butt was about to become a memory-when a complete stranger handed her a cookie...and she was caught!
Thank God for the cookie bearing angel in Lapeer, Michigan!
Anyway...Fittingly, for the beginning of a brand new year-tonight brought me to the story of the beginning of Jesus's public ministry.
Here is your clept note version.
Matt. 1-2 Jesus is born, and he grows up.
Matt. 3 Jesus is baptized-which was really cool because of the whole God talking out loud, dove from heaven thing.
Matt. 4 Jesus is lead into the wilderness to fast for 40 days and to be tempted by Satan...no, this wasn't fun!
Next Jesus calls his disciples, and starts the business of healing and teaching.
Matthew 5 Jesus gives his most famous sermon.
Something very relevant to the person reading these passages on the eve of a brand new year is this...Jesus had some incredible moments as he began his ministry, but moments of extreme hunger, stress, and temptation planted themselves in the midst of those triumphs.
From the very start, Jesus first experiences a beautiful moment of being publicly loved by God and then is, immediately, sent to spend more than a month being beat up by his enemy. Please Note: Jesus stood strong in every temptation.
After this---Jesus is ready to do God's work!
As we look forward to a new year, we probably have a lot of hopes and maybe some expectations. We all wish one another a "Happy New Year"..and we would like one for ourselves as well. What we do not want to think about on a day like today is the fact that being trained and used by God means some unhappy days.
It means being pushed to our limits, and it means going without the things that we want sometimes.
Why is this?
It is because God uses those moments to strengthen us so that we-like Jesus-will be better prepared to serve him and he can better bless us when our lives are not lost in a bucket full of sunshine.
Jesus himself put it this way...
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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