John 1:10-13

“He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.” vs. 10

John didn’t confine his nativity story to the stable in Bethlehem. For him everything about Jesus has a cosmic dimension. All things came into being through the Word and in a real sense, creation itself was the first incarnation. That’s such a powerful image that we can scarcely comprehend its significance. To put it in another way, God poured God’s self into the creation and is continuing to do so even today. There is nowhere in the world where God is not present and there is nowhere that we can flee to escape God. That doesn’t mean that everyone in the world can see God or know God–some folks can live a lifetime and never catch a glimpse of God’s glorious presence. But most folks at least have a sense that God is, and that God can be comprehended in the wonders of creation. That’s why we love sunrises and sunsets and rejoice at the miraculous life cycles of plants and animals. That’s why mountains are so beautiful and why black holes are so mysterious. That’s why life is so precious to us and why we giggle at a baby’s smile, and it’s why we fight so hard to stay alive even when the brokenness of the world overwhelms us. And it’s not only Christians who have this God-consciousness and such reverence for life. It’s what we have in common with all people of faith who matter how they express it. 

Thought for the Day: What is a God moment?

Ephesians 1:7-14

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” vss. 7-8a

When starting anew there’s no better feeling than knowing that we have a blank slate. None of the pages of our memoir from this day forward have any words on them. The story of our 2026 is yet to be written! But one thing we do know is that our trespasses, however great they may have been, have all been forgiven. This was the theme that Paul chose for his letter to the Ephesians and it was the guiding principal of his life. Whatever the death of Jesus might have meant, there was no doubt that it was connected to forgiveness, and that remains true for us as well. There are several theories of atonement that try to explain the logic of redemption, but not one of them is sufficient. The mystery is beyond our comprehension. But we continue to affirm Paul’s message: forgiveness is real! And it is for all people! And if that seems impossible, well, that’s just how God is. We don’t have to understand it and we don’t have to earn it. It’s simply a matter of receiving the gift and laying aside the burden and guilt of sin. So how will that affect what we write in our memoir tonight? How are we living out our holiness today? Oh what magnificent stories we are writing!

Thought for the Day: How does page 1 of 2026 reflect our goodness?

Ephesians 1:3-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” vss. 3-4

What a great thought for New Year’s Day! Praise God! We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. We have been chosen from before time began to be holy and blameless people, and that gift is ours purely and totally because of God’s love. Because the world is both good and broken, sometimes we completely forget the blessings that God so generously showers upon us. Bedeviled by the ever-increasing presence of AI, greedy politicians, and conspiracy theories it’s hard to see through the veil of despair that dominates the daily news cycle. More than ever we need to look beyond the threats and our fears and grasp the timeless reality of God’s love. Since today has been traditionally linked with resolutions, perhaps we can resolve to look beyond the ubiquitous rumors and commonplace lies, and take hold of the promises that are ours in Christ Jesus. We are called by the Holy Spirit to holiness, to stand above the chaos of social media, and to spend every day spreading love and good cheer among friends and enemies alike. We’ve never lived the days of 2026 before–they could be our best days ever.

Thought for the Day: How’s my holy blameless life going?

Psalm 147:12-20

“He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs—who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them;   he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.” vss. 16-18

What a year! Who would have expected last January 1 that we would have seen the changes that have taken place in our country! Some of course are thrilled, while many have been deeply distressed. The collusion of big money and unlimited power has consequences that boggle the mind, and we have no idea what will happen in 2026. The psalmist weighs in today with a reminder that should give us some assurance. No matter what those with big egos might think, there is another force at work in our world, and God’s power dwarfs that of mere mortals. As some in our country are experiencing today, snow and hail come with the rhythm of the seasons and the resulting cold grips our core. All the seemingly quirky shifts of nature are a part of God’s continuing creation. Icy times are followed by sunny skies; waters flow, and life is recreated. All we can do is stand in awe as the world changes before our eyes, one season following another. May each of us have the confidence that God is actually the one in charge, and that in Christ joy and will abound for all people of faith.

Thought for the Day: How will I toast the New Year tonight?

Jeremiah 31:10-14

“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” vs. 13

In spite of his concern for Jerusalem and his contempt for the policies of the king, Jeremiah could scarcely contain himself as he thought about the future the Lord had in mind for the people. His vision is magnificent, and he even gives a nod to the rejoicing that comes from dancing, probably a bit of a surprise to some of our puritanical forebears. And when he says that even the old shall be merry we can’t help but smile, because sometimes it doesn’t seem that the aged have much to look forward to. But Jeremiah refuses to be silent. We have a God that is full of surprises! Read again what he says, “I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” What a treat it is to get this message from one of the prophets! Sometimes in these latter days, it seems that our country is out of control and that we’re heading in a direction that promises only disaster. But that’s not the big picture, and that message certainly doesn’t correspond to what we receive from Jesus. His promises will never fail, and one day the Kingdom of Peace will prevail!

Thought for the Day:When was the last time that I made merry?

Jeremiah 31:7-9

“See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here.” vs. 8

Jeremiah was a hard-nosed prophet, and as we read his book we get an earful of judgment. The Lord was not pleased with the faithlessness of Israel and Judea. They were the Chosen People and they had disregarded the commandments of God and profaned worship. Surely they would be defeated by their enemies and driven into exile. People in Jerusalem were tired of Jeremiah and refused to listen to his fiery blasts of condemnation. But that isn’t the whole picture of Jeremiah and it certainly doesn’t reflect his full teaching about the grace and mercy of God. You see, Jeremiah knew that the bottom line with even the God of the Hebrew scriptures was grace. Even though the people had turned their backs on God and deserved punishment, there would be a return to the land, there would be restoration and healing, and no one would be left behind! There was a future for the people of God! Wow! What a powerful message, it’s not what we might expect from Jeremiah. And the best news is that this is also the word that we hear from the mouth of Jesus. It’s the message that should be shouted from the pulpit of every church in the land. Our past never defines our future.

Thought for the Day: When do we need a word of judgment?

Matthew 2:16-23

“But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.” vs. 22

In an age when tribal connections meant everything and many people expected that the messiah would come from the tribe of Judah, David’s tribe, it was a bit of a mystery how Jesus would have been raised in the village of Nazareth in Galilee. As Nathaniel puts it indelicately in John’s gospel, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Matthew was certainly aware of such feelings and takes pains to tell how Joseph moved Mary and Jesus north when they returned from Egypt. It wasn’t strange at all. In fact, in the preceding century many people had moved from the area of Bethlehem to Galilee and they were probably all from the tribe of Judah. Joseph likely settled in Nazareth, a hamlet only three miles from the thriving city of Sepphoris, because there would be plenty of work for a carpenter there. We know what that’s like. Our families get scattered too, and it’s rare to discover people who live in the place where they were born. The good news is that as we move we can always find a new family, and that happens most often in our congregations. There it’s not our tribe that counts but our connection to Jesus. Jesus thrived in Galilee, and it’s there that his ministry caught fire.

Thought for the Day: Where have I found family as I’ve moved?

Matthew 2:13-18

“Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’” vss. 14-15

In the gospel of Matthew Jesus is presented as a new Moses, a leader chosen by God to inaugurate a new covenant with Israel. Rescued from King Herod as a baby, just as Moses was saved from the pharaoh, Jesus too spends his early years in Egypt in kind of a divine witness protection program. And then to prepare for his mission, Jesus leaves Egypt with his parents and goes to live in Nazareth. Moses went to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, while Jesus begins his teaching with the Beatitudes on a mountain in Galilee. Of course Jesus was more than a new Moses, and presented in his teaching, not a new law but a new way of life. As the gospel of John puts it, “The law indeed was given through Moses: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” It’s important for us to remember this distinction. Too many would like nothing better than to turn Jesus into a law-giver and ignore his teachings on forgiveness and mercy. Following Jesus is far more than obeying a set of rules and commandments. Joseph paid attention to his dreams. In Christ we  learn to listen to the Spirit of God and to go with the gospel wherever a word of grace is needed

Thought for the Day: Who needs a word of grace today?

Isaiah 63:7-9

“I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,

because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favour to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” vs. 7

When the people returned from exile in Babylon they found that the land of their dreams had been devastated. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and their beloved temple had been burned. But they had long memories, and sitting in the ruins of their city they remembered the gracious deeds of the Lord, and they dared to dream that they would one day again be the beneficiaries of God’s mercy and steadfast love. That’s what we’ve been doing through these last weeks of Advent. In many ways they are a recitation of what God has done. We’ve remembered the birth of a Savior who was called by the name Emmanuel, (God is with us), and now as we move on in the Spirit of Christmas we dare to hope for signs of God’s continued presence. It may be that we’ve seen some rough times. And now it could  be that we’re glimpsing some positivity. That’s a good feeling for the dawn of a new year. We can certainly count on God for mercy and forgiveness, and with that,  healing and restoration, and maybe even a whole new beginning!

Thought for the Day: What positivity am I glimpsing?

John 1:1-14

“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” vss. 3b-5

John doesn’t have an infancy narrative in his gospel. For him what happened in Jesus was connected not to a stable but to the Word through whom life itself had come into being. This life was the light of all people and exposed them to the goodness of God. And even though the brokenness of the world is obvious to all, through Christ we have a connection to the Light, and through that Light forgiveness, healing, and restoration touch our lives every single day. For John Jesus was the incarnation of that Light and by the grace of God those who receive him have the capacity to live as the children of the Light. Do all receive him? Of course not! But that doesn’t mean the Light is not in their DNA. The Light is what gives them life! After a time, it has been said, those who live in Christ begin to “expect the unexpected,” and we begin to see the Light where we never dreamed that it might be seen, and our hearts are strangely warmed. It might even happen today! It’s Christmas after all and even the cultural clutter cannot totally obscure the Light of the world. If we open our eyes, we might even see it in the debris of our celebration!

Thought for the Day: What did I not expect to see today?