Weekly "Call To Worship" Encouragement

Good morning, and Happy New Year! It seems we all greet the New Year differently, depending on our circumstances, our mind-set, our attitude, etc. It can be difficult to find motivation for the New Year when you remember the struggles of last year. And there were some struggles, right? We’ve lost loved ones, we’ve had health issues, we’ve had financial or job set-backs, loved ones have moved away, we’ve struggled with sin, some of our personal relationships have deteriorated. 2021 definitely had its moments.

I don’t want to sound too much like a downer-Dave because there were also many blessings in 2021, and I hope you will pause to reflect on that, but as we face the New Year we want to see the way forward. What does God have in mind for us? What is our motivation for putting one foot in front of the other?

As we are called to worship, I’m going to read from Philippians chapter one beginning in verse 1. This is a letter to the church in Philippi, but I want you to hear it as a letter to you (to all of us), because it is.

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons^[a]:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

How do we face 2022, or any new year? How do we put our feet on the floor and greet any day? Listen to verse 6 again, “… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

My simple paraphrase would be, “God is not done with you!” We are here this morning to worship that God. The good work began when you were united with His Son Jesus Christ, the day you were baptized. God loves us enough to give us NEW LIFE. And that life includes what so many people in the world lack: PURPOSE!

Our life has meaning, it has purpose, and every day of this new year is part of that. Church, you need to know that God will finish what He has started, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Let’s pray,

Father in Heaven,

We are here to worship you. Father we are so thankful to have new life in your Son Jesus. Father, thank you for reminding us how much you love us, and how our lives are filled with purpose. Help us to see that value and that purpose and that motivation every day. Father we pray that the love you give to us will abound, that we will truly see the fruit of righteousness in our lives. Lord we pray that your church will grow, and that your name will be glorified.

In Jesus’ name, amen.