Wow, today was the first worship service of 2020. It is January 5, 2020. We had a guest speaker, Gary Roberts,  presiding over today’s ceremonies. We had a few close calls yet everything worked well and ran smoothly. Our scripture was Matthew 2 verses 1 through 12.

 

Gary mentioned that most sermons on this first Sunday of the year may focus on Resolutions. He shared resolutions don’t last long because we are trying to change different behaviors like eating better, exercising, or saving money yet we have to change ourselves for the changes to impact us.. He shared how we spend four or five weeks talking about the coming of the baby yet once Christmas comes we don’t address the baby. We forget about the baby Jesus.

 

God could have sent Jesus as an adult yet he choose to send Jesus as a baby. Do you think he was sent as a baby because the Isrealites, the chosen ones, needed a drastic change? God did so much and forgave so much to redeem the chosen ones yet they still continued sinning. When a baby is present in a room, you can observe changes in the people in the room. They may be grumpy or mad yet a baby in the midst brings a smile and protectiveness to those present. Many of us want to hold, kiss, cuddle, and love the baby. A baby is dependent upon adults for everything. Jesus was a baby dependent upon Mary, Joseph, and others to bring nourishment, protection, and love.

 

In Matthew 5, God challenges us to love people who offend us – we are to love everyone even when we don’t like them. This is a very tall order. I have found that praying for those who I don’t particularly like has been helpful to changing my heart. 

 

Remember that the church is a family regardless of decisions made. 2020 is a pivotal year for the United Methodist Church because there may be decisions made that cause churches to move onto a new path. Regardless of the decisions made, don’t forget the baby and what He means to us and the world.