Newness and Change (Jan 2025)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (rf. II Cor. 5:17 NASB)

 

            As we begin a new year, we are entrenched in the dead of winter. The leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, leaving behind a carpet of fading color on the ground while bare branches hang overhead. The wind whistles through the tree limbs unheeded and undaunted by the cold. It is a truly a bleak landscape that remains after the official arrival of winter.

            However, there is the promise of newness and life that also floats on the breeze. Though its reality is still months away, just knowing Spring is ahead and waiting in the wings provides us hope for better things in store. We just need to buckle down and endure the harshness of winter’s wrath to get to the gentle compassionate touches of Spring.

            As is happening in the world around us so the same is true within our hearts and our church. The Lord is preparing new paths for us to follow, new truths for us to learn, new experiences for us for us to go through together. The arrival of the new is a blessing to us as He moves us forward, benefiting from the lessons we have learned in the past while not concentrating our energies and focus on the things behind us. Like in a book, the Lord would have us to turn the page and engage a new chapter in our walk with Him, both individually and as a church. Newness brings promise of life as it does in Spring. So, we want to embrace the newness with all of our heart.

            Change for the better is not a bad thing at all. We are actually made for change. The sooner we embrace that truth, the easier is it is for us to manage it. Let us together build on our rich history in Christ, personally and corporately, while awaiting the new things the Lord has in store for us as His people.

Remarkable Mary, the mother of Christ

 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One who will be born will be called the Son of God. Listen, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was declared barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be unto me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (rf. Lk. 1:34–38 MEV)

 

The angel Gabriel visited Mary (actually Miriam in Hebrew), a young woman of Nazareth, a small village in the Galilee region of Israel. She was “troubled” (vs. 29) by his appearance but maintained enough composure to enter an important conversation with this servant who was sent directly on errand from the throne of God Himself. Her natural fear was overcome by awe and anticipation of finding out why the Lord of Hosts had chosen her to receive this message. God informed her that He had selected her above all other women in Israel to be the vessel through whom the Promised Messiah would come. Even from the womb He would be the king of Israel from the royal lineage of David as prophesied (vs. 32-33).

 

Her reception of this news and the attitude with which she accepted are of great note here. The text does not say that she through ambition would be elevated to an equal position with her Son as Co-Regent, if you will (as Roman Catholicism teaches). No, it is her humility, faithful resignation, and commitment to be the Lord’s servant that gains our attention. She hears of the impossible feat God was going to do in and through her and she without hesitation agrees to His use of her in His plan. In her case, humility + faith = an enduring legacy and blessing. She alone above all others would be forever known as the mother of Messiah.

 

We quickly overlook these beautiful facts when we look at Mary. She was a virgin (“I do not know a man”) and a teenager, yet she possessed a faith in and understanding of Almighty God that most older adults rarely obtain. Mary is more than worthy of our respect and admiration.

 

We should learn to follow her example and simply take God at His Word. Remember that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (rf. Heb. 11:1). If God says that He will do it, it will be done accordingly. He simply wants us to believe in Him enough to not only watch it happen but also be willing to participate in the miraculous process. 

 

This Christmas, let Mary’s gift of faith be yours as well so that as the new year approaches, we can anticipate with joy the reality of God’s work in us, through us and around us in the future.