Psalm 47:1-2;
Revelation 22:8-9
A new
year will soon be here. Have you made
your resolutions? When the New Year came to ancient Israel a procession of
praise wound its way up Mount Zion to the Temple. It was a time of festive celebration. “On New
Year’s Day, the first rays of the sun, rising over the Mount of Olives, shone
in a straight line through the outer Eastern Gate of the Temple, then on across
the Temple court and over the great altar inside, between the two pillars on
either side and on down the long corridor into the holy of holies, the sacred
recess at the western end. These first
rays of New Year’s Day were called “the radiance of God” and symbolized God’s
entrance into the sanctuary. – Just at this moment, the shofar or ram’s horn
sounded, and the procession began …” (Jeter,
Joseph R. Jr, ReMemberiing). As they wound their way up the
hill and into the Temple area they probably sang the opening of Psalm 47: “CLAP YOUR HANDS, ALL YOU PEOPLES; SHOUT TO
GOD WITH LOUD SONGS OF JOY. FOR THE
LORD, THE MOST HIGH, IS AWESOME, A GREAT KING OVER ALL THE EARTH.”
As the new year began they
were reminded that, as the Psalm says, “THE LORD IS AWESOME, A GREAT KING OVER ALL
THE EARTH.”
As we
approach the New Year the media will draw attention to the past and often to a
lot of negatives. Terrible storms,
terrorist attacks, the polarization of congress, a contentious political race,
war that escalated rather than ending, and if we get personal we can probably
think of enough bad things that happened to us to make us miserable.
Instead,
maybe we should adopt instead the view of the psalmist and ancient Israel and
place our focus on the Lord, a great king over all the earth. Or take our cue from the way the book of
Revelation ends. The book summarizes
everything that has gone before: the fall of mankind, the strife and sinfulness
that followed, and the death that came upon all. But it also includes the God who sits on the
throne and says, “BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL
THINGS NEW” (21:5).
What
can we do that will help us look to the future with faith and hope for the fulfillment
of this promise? Hear the answer in the
last chapter of the Bible: NOW I, JOHN, SAW AND HEARD THESE
THINGS. AND WHEN I HEARD AND SAW, I FELL
DOWN TO WORSHIP BEFORE THE FEET OF THE ANGEL WHO SHOWED E THESE THINGS. THEN HE SAID TO ME, “SEE THAT YOU DO NOT DO
THAT. FOR I AM YOUR FELLOW SERVANT, …” Then he added two words: “ WORSHIP GOD!”
Two
words: worship God. Remember that we have an awesome God, a King over all the earth. In the New Year the key to hope for the
future lies not in our resolutions but in our worship of God. In a sense, each Lord’s Day is a New Year,
and new beginning, and the Lord’s Table is the place where we can come to
worship God and hear him say once again, “BEHOLD,
I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.”
