thinking about the year ahead…
"What do you think of the Messiah? (Matthew 22.42)
This is the crucial question, as William Haslan discovered on October 19th, 1851, when he stepped up to the pulpit and started to preach. Suddenly, he realized for the first time who Jesus really was and “felt a wonderful light and joy coming into my soul.” A moment later, a man in the congregation leaped up and shouted, “The parson’s converted! The parson’s converted! Hallelujah!” The whole congregation and the pastor joined in an outburst of praise.
Today, people are hungry for Jesus, even when they are disillusioned about Christians. Yet secular media markets indicate that there continues to be an enormous interest in Jesus. When people turn their eyes on Jesus, they can be amazed, challenged, and/or enthralled.
The history of Western civilization reflects this hunger and fascination with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Dostoevsky wrote: “I believe that there is no one lovelier, deeper, more sympathetic, and more perfect than Jesus. I tell myself with jealous love that not only is there no one else like Him, but there could never be anyone else like Him.” Tennyson noted: “His character was more wonderful than the greatest miracle.” Napoleon stated: “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have found great empires. But upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Force. Jesus alone founded an Empire upon love, and to this day, millions follow Him… I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ was no mere man: Between Him and whoever else in the world, there is no possible comparison.”
As you embark on a new year with its challenges, opportunities, decisions, and relationships, would you take a moment to honestly ask yourself, “What do I, INSERTYOURNAMEHERE, think of Jesus?” Be honest, who is He? How would you describe Him to others? Let us start the year honestly before Him. If we answer that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord God in the flesh— then let us make a commitment to give this year to Him so that our lives might honor Him. If we truly believe, then may it never be said of us: “for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.” (Romans 1.21)
In the event that you are reading this and not sure what to make of Jesus, then let me urge you to use 2024 to come to terms with His identity, His claims, and His work. If you are reading this and you are confident in the person, power, and promise of Jesus, then let me challenge you to embrace an intentional mindset that will endeavor to use this year to be co-workers with Christ in his wondrous labor of redemption.
Be a peacemaker, not a polarizer;
Be a reconciler, not a divider;
Be redemptive, not condemning;
Be a healer, a person of prayer, a witness, and a community builder.
Let there be no confusion about Who we live for;
Let there be no misunderstanding about Who we belong to;
Let there be no confusion concerning to Whom our allegiance lies;
In this election year – Let us not be distracted, double-minded, or frightened.
Redemption comes from heaven, not Washington;
Souls are transformed by revelation, not legislation;
We are ambassadors for Christ;
We are heralds of His Kingdom;
We will not put our hope in a donkey or an elephant;
The Lion Who is the Lamb needs no assistance;
Looks for no allies;
His power is undiminished;
His grace remains relentless, and
His truth is everlasting.
As we begin 2024, let me invite you to echo the Apostle Paul with these words: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I am willing to suffer the loss of all things and regard them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death…” (see Philippians 3.8-11)
Dear ones, we live life in the shape of a cross…
Carnegie Simpson, of all people, observed: “Instinctively, we do not class him with others. When we read His name in a list beginning with Confucious and ending with Goethe, we feel it is an offense... Jesus is not one of the world's great. Talk about Alexander the Great, Charles, Napoleon, if you will. Jesus is not Jesus the Great. He is the only. He is simply Jesus. Nothing could add to that.”
So I conclude with the opening question: What do you think of the Messiah? How you answer that question will determine the trajectory of your lives in 2024.
