Put God First

New Year’s Eve Prayer Service Revelation 21:1-6a December 31, 2021 Preparing for the Service Welcome – light a candle to make this sacred space and time. Also encourage you to have a pencil and a piece of paper for reflection and journaling. Lighting the Christ Candle We gather here in this sacred space to lift up your name in glory. At the start of this new year, we continue to be amazed by your Creation, Your heavens, with the multitude of stars in the vastness of space; The secrets found in the depths of your oceans; The majesty of your tallest mountaintops and the roar of your waterfalls; The splendor of your desert in bloom after a rainfall; And the vast expanse of the African savanna. You have set your glory above all the heavens and yet still care for us. You gave us responsibility for your creation giving us the power over the works of your hands. You shaped us in your image and filled our world with your creations, the sheep and oxen and all the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the seas. We lift up our hearts and our hands in praise and thanksgiving for your Creation. Revelation 21:1-6 Common English Bible New heaven and new earth 21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring. Reflection In this scripture, we learn that the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven: God in the midst of the world. Revelation describes this new moment with wedding imagery, a relationship of perfect joy and peace between God and God’s people. We are called to partner with God to make this new heaven and new earth. Invite people to consider how they might commit themselves< to one or two things in the upcoming year that will show God’s love and teachings in the world. Also ask them to consider what might hold them back from showing God’s love to others. From Catherine Kenlin Message One week a Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her class the Christmas story. After telling the story the teacher asked, "Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is?” A little boy raised his hand and said, “Eve.” The teacher asked him why he thought Eve was the most important woman in the Bible. The little boy replied, “Well, they name two days of the year after Eve. You know, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.” Source: Unknown New Year’s eve is not a church holiday. But I do think that it is an important time of year. New Year’s Eve us full of ritual and tradition, and myth and legend. Personally I look forward to this night more than any other. Christmas Easter, and even Halloween is full of expectations of me as a pastor and as a family member. New Year’s Eve I am free to be myself. But it is a wonderful night because I am also free to imagine, vision, dream and to plan new ways of being in the coming year. It is a time to set goals and to let God in on those goals. John Wesley, had the same idea. He felt it was a perfect day to look at our relationship with God. In Wesley’s day, of course people went to midnight mass – it was expected that you would be in church in Christmas eve. Wesley encouraged the people called Methodist to go one step further- to gather on New Years – with others and with a peace of paper. To ask yourself some questions about life, about what worked for the year, what didn’t, where was god in your life, most importantly where were you in relation to God. Don Whitely, a spiritual writer came up with a list of 30 questions to ask about your relationship with god. I will give you a sample of them. The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up and get our bearings. For starters, here are 31 questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God as you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month. 1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? 2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year? 3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year? 4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it? 5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year? 6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church? 7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year? You can ask all at once, or one a year. Can google Don Whitely if you want to know more. Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number of years. He tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to learn the basics. Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest of his body would enter the water properly–at least, more properly than it had been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning, “Mr. Brown,” he would shout, “were my feet together?” “Billy, I don’t care whether your feet were together or not,” Brown shouted back. “Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out.” The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. “Mr. Brown, were my hands together?” “Billy,” Brown would groan in frustration, “I’m going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right. If your head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong.” And isn’t that true in all of life? If our head is wrong, our marriage will probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be fouled up. If our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative way. God understands our distress and God seeks to make us new persons so that we can handle our distress more effectively. Stephen Brown, When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Adapted by King Duncan New year is a good time to get your head straight. How are you going to put God first in the coming year. We also have to look at what got in the way of our first love and most important relationship. Sometimes it can be our own good intentions, our service, and even the church. Most often, to build toward leisure demands that we disassemble something else. In Thomas Moore’s book Meditations, he tells of a pilgrim walking along a road. The pilgrim sees some men working on a stone building. “You look like a monk,” the pilgrim said. “I am that,” said the monk. “Who is that working on the abbey?” “My monks. I’m the abbot.” “It’s good to see a monastery going up,” said the pilgrim. “They’re tearing it down,” said the abbot. “Whatever for?” asked the pilgrim. “So we can see the sun rise at dawn,” said the abbot. Richard A. Wing, Deep Joy for a Shallow World, CSS Publishing The word paragon means – an action or step that comes second, but helps you to keep your #1 priority in place. Our relationship with God comes first, but the activities that refresh and renew us and clear away the clutter to hear God more clearly are just as important. Tonight, we say goodbye to 2021 and say hello to 2022. One ritual of the new year is to open the door to make sure that the old year passes away. Before it leaves, thank it for the lessons that it taught us, for making us stronger than we were in 2020, for getting us through the tough times for a better day. No year is all bad, and worth shutting the door on. But let us also welcome 2022 I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months. All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination. All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires. All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose. I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Source: Unknown My prayer for the new year is you stay close enough to the spirit of God that you may know that you are never alone. That you may walk through new doors, that you know when God calls you to let go. There will be many ups and down in this year. There will be heartache, there will be joy. But through it all may we keep our faith directed at God. John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, Exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen. One More tradition – ringing the bells With food in our bellies and big questions on our minds,we wait for epiphanies big and small.We are still following the star and trying to be wise and braveto ready ourselves for all that this new year might hold.We are listening for that revelationand that certainty that will beas clear as a bell. We hear hints of those those chimes and believe that through all the disorientationand heartbreak we have known, God is still making a new heaven and a new earth.God is making all things newand inviting us to join in the creation of this new year. Elsa Cook A New Year Blessing Benediction You are the people of Christ, the people of the New Jerusalem. You have been claimed by God. Look bravely into the future and see the promise of the new year. See the abundance of God’s gifts in the world. Feel the presence of God in the world with you and go forward in God’s strength, love and grace. Amen. A Service of Holy Communion for the New Year was written by Catherine Kenlin, a recent graduate of Lancaster Theological Seminary, and Member in Discernment in the Lancaster Association of the Penn Central Conference. Additional illustrations Stay Focused! We sometimes miss the great opportunities of life because we get sidetracked. I once heard the tale of a talented and gifted bloodhound in England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer. During the chase a fox crossed his path, so he began now to chase the fox. A rabbit crossed his hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for a while, a tiny field mouse crossed his path, and he chased the mouse to the corner of a farmer’s barn. The bloodhound had begun the hunt chasing a prized male deer for his master and wound up barking at a tiny mouse. It is a rare human being who can do three or four different things at a time–moving in different directions. The Apostle Paul knew his number one priority in life was to live his life to the honor and glory of God by preaching the Gospel. However, we know that Paul is not in a plush hotel room but in prison. He receives a report that all is not well at the Church in Philippi. His very life could be ended at any moment. And the list goes on. However, the Apostle Paul would not allow anything to cross his path that would deter him from his priority. Paul knew that his new life was a gift from God, not from the promises of humanity. His life was to be lived for his master. Nothing would sidetrack him of that priority! Eric S. Ritz, The Ritz Collection, www.Sermons.com The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up and get our bearings. For starters, here are 31 questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God as you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month. 1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? 2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year? 3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year? 4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it? 5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year? 6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church? 7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year? 8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year? 9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year? 10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity? 11. What's the most important decision you need to make this year? 12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area? 13. What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year? 14. What habit would you most like to establish this year? 15. Who do you most want to encourage this year? 16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it? 17. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year? 18. What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year? 19. What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren? 20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year? 21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year? 22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year? 23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year? 24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year? 25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year? 26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year? 27. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year? 28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it? 29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it? 30. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year? 31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?