This is the Day
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
–Jesus (Acts 1:8)
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
–Psalm 118:24
Friends,
It is 2019. 2018 is over.
It is a time of resolution and plans. We tell ourselves, and others who will listen, that this is the year. This is the year when I will exercise, I will get my finances in order or eat right. Some variation of these three goals are consistently at the top of the most frequently reported resolutions. I can with near certainty predict that when 2019 becomes 202o people will be making these same promises to themselves. This is the year.
The trouble is, we don’t live in yearly units. We live in days. This is why the days can last so very long and yet somehow years fly by at incredible speed. It is in days that we eat, work and steward our finances.
This is the day.
As followers of Jesus we have good news. 2019 can be different. We can be changed and transformed. This is the day it may begin. The answer is not to simply try harder in the days that will add up to be the year 2019. Human effort is a fine and noble thing but we know how often it is insufficient to meet the challenge and make a change. We need the power Jesus promises us in Acts. The Holy Spirit changed fisherman and tax collectors in to witnesses sent throughout the world. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives invites us into the same power of transformation.
This is the day to receive the power to share the good news of Jesus. This is the day to set aside time to pray and enjoy the presence of God. This is the day to be a blessing in our neighborhoods. This is the day to call out the gifts we see in other people at work.
This is the day.
Blessings,
Pastor Ben