Endings and beginnings: An old year ends, and a new year begins. In the unfolding pages of our lives, God goes with us on our individual and collective journeys. We thank Him for His presence with us and His guidance for our passage. We experience His saving grace every day, and we are redeemed anew to start over when we have faltered or have fallen. We gather as people who know ourselves to be sons and daughters of God, called by His grace into His family. Let us, with confidence for the new year, worship God.

We gather in worship on the day before the day which brings the greatest joy and satisfaction to young children, the greatest stress to young parents, and the greatest nostalgia to old people. Christmas is upon us, and Advent is ending. We bow before the God who sent a helpless baby into a world which had prepared no room for him. We thank God for His gift, and praise Him for bringing us to Himself by means of that gift. Therefore, let us with Christmas confidence, worship God!

Who was Jesus? How do we see him? How did he see himself? There are only two biographical references to Jesus from his own time apart from the four Gospels. The Gospels were written decades after Jesus lived and died. Today we shall focus on how Jesus perceived himself from two different and even conflicting episodes from the Gospel of Mark. As we do so, let us examine how we ourselves conceptualize the man whose title we bear, simply because we are here together. Let us, with expectancy, worship God.

Today marks the first day in a new year in the church calendar. The four Sundays before Christmas encapsulate the season of Advent. During Advent Christians once again prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Today we shall celebrate the sacrament of holy communion. As we begin the ecclesiastical new year, let us prepare our hearts and minds to receive him who comes into the world as the light of the world. Let us worship the God who sent Jesus Christ to transform the world and everyone in it.

Today marks the first day in a new year in the church calendar. The four Sundays before Christmas encapsulate the season of Advent. During Advent Christians once again prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Today we shall celebrate the sacrament of holy communion. As we begin the ecclesiastical new year, let us prepare our hearts and minds to receive him who comes into the world as the light of the world. Let us worship the God who sent Jesus Christ to transform the world and everyone in it.

The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by a wise old man who had lived long and observed much. Today we shall be thinking about some of the themes raised by this outstanding biblical writer, especially about old age. Whether we think God is near to us or far away, He is always present, always caring, always loving. Therefore to Him we come in praise and worship, thanking Him for life, for its longevity, and for His blessings to us every step along the way. Let us, with the confidence of the aging, worship God.

The nineteenth century American poet James Russell Lowell wrote, “We are living, we are dwelling, in a grand and awful time.” It is grand, because many wonderful advances have been made in science, medicine, and technology; awful, because there are indications that our culture is tearing itself apart. This morning we shall look at some examples of how our culture may be declining, what is God’s response to that, and what we personally can do about it. Let us therefore, with chastened hearts and minds, worship God.

Many things in life beckon us to turn them into idols: our nation, its flag, its history, our spouse, our children, our homes, freedom, democracy, and good health. God alone is worthy of anyone’s worship, and the Bible tells us that all forms of idolatry represent false gods. Today we shall examine a longstanding idol from our nation’s past. As we do so, let us once again turn to the God who created us, who sustains us, and who redeems us. Let us, with Sabbath praise, worship God.

We gather in worship, thankful that we personally are not facing another hurricane. But we have become painfully aware of people in Mexico and the Caribbean and Puerto Rico whose lives have been devastated by natural disasters, and we cannot erase from our minds their suffering and hardships. God is a God of mercy, and we implore his loving kindness to be felt by people who desperately need His strength in their weakened state. Therefore let us turn to God in worship, trusting that despite all, this is still our Father’s world.

Another hurricane comes our way. This time most of us were entirely spared significant damage, but millions of others have suffered major and minor losses. By now it should be obvious that God does not control the weather, but it also may become obvious that humanity is affecting it far more than we would care to admit or even contemplate. In the meantime, we gather again for worship, listening to the appeal Jesus makes to sinners. Since all of us fit readily into that category, let us, with Christian confidence, worship God.

Life is a gift from God, and without God we would have no life at all. Our lives are rich and colorfully textured, and filled with many kinds of people. How do we assess everyone around us? Jesus gave us instructions about that. His words are clear but complex, simple but complicated. Today we shall contemplate what it means to be useful members of the human community, and how we are to relate to one another. In anticipation, let us join with one another as we worship God.

This past week, the heavens were telling, as never before, the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimed His handiwork in a sight never before seen by millions of Americans. We gather to worship a God so immense and mysterious that the word “God” cannot possibly do His existence justice. Greatly limited as we may be, our Creator bids us come to Him in worship, not for His sake, but for ours. Let us therefore, with the sun eclipsed, but our faith ever-expanding as a result of it, worship God.

Extremists drive cars speed down city streets, killing and injuring innocent people in their mad plunge into infamy. In the face of such incidents, who cannot be anxious? The leader of the most powerful nation in the world continues to do and say strange and inexplicable things, and the presidency appears to totter. Who cannot be anxious? Life is filled with inequities and uncertainties, and who cannot be anxious? A soothing, encouraging voice commands us: “Do not be anxious.” Let us, despite all our human frailties, worship God.

Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. What does “love” mean? Are all forms of love the same? If they are not, what is the particular nature of the love we should exhibit toward those who vex us or hurt us or deliberately thwart us? Upon these questions we shall focus today in our life-journey of faith. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus said things that can change the world around us. They may not change the whole world, but they can change how we understand and react to the people who live in our personal world. If the whole world is to be transformed, it must begin in a series of small but significant steps. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with us. Let us gather to worship the God of peace, who bids each of us to be peacemakers with our neighbors.

Most of the time in life we know what to do, and we do it. But sometimes we are uneasily uncertain, and we are genuinely perplexed about what we should do. When Paul wrote a letter to his friend Philemon, that was the situation in which he found himself. God is with us in all the situations of our lives, inspiring, commanding, nudging, and wooing us. In order to do what God wants, we need to listen for His quiet but persistent voice. Therefore let us now, with confidence, worship God.

In life we are occasionally, or perhaps frequently, faced with situations where we do not know what is the right thing to do. We might know what we want to do, but is it right? Today we shall continue to examine a situation like that which is explained in Paul’s letter to his friend Philemon. In our uncertainties, we can be certain of God’s presence with us as we seek to make correct decisions. We determine the decision, but God assists us in it by His presence with us. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.

Worship is communication. We speak to God, God speaks to us, and we speak to one another. Worship is the communication of faith. God hears us and answers us, not always as we might like, but always as we have need. Today we remember people whose spirits have been diminished by the feeling that they are part of a diminishing number of faithful members of the body of Christ. We seek the power of God to inspire and uphold them in their feelings of concern or anguish. Therefore let us worship the God who alone is God.

Every now and then I feel a need to preach a sermon about the topic of prophecy. And every time I do that I feel it is necessary to state all over again what prophecy is, and what it is not. The words “prophet” and “prophecy” are two of the most commonly misinterpreted words in the English language. First, here is what prophecy is not, at least as it is properly understood biblically. Prophecy is NOT a matter of predicting the future. That cannot possibly be overstated. Prophecy is NOT a matter of predicting the future.

What does God want for us now, in our earthly life? What does God want for us in eternal life? Shall we have eternal life? If so, what will it be like? These are the questions which surround today’s worship, some of which will be directly addressed, while most will go unanswered. We gather in praise of the God who created us, who daily sustains us, and who cares for us much more than we are able to care for ourselves. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.