This is it! Final Sunday of the year!
Who else is happy to see 2020 end? This year ranks as one of the most interesting of my lifetime — probably of yours as well. This year we have experienced everything from quarantines to outdoor church services, from YouTube to Zoom, and from social distancing to masks. Fifty-two weeks ago on the final Sunday of 2019, no one anticipated what we received this year.
However, I’m not sure about you, but no one gave me a vote. We responded to what was providentially given to us.
At the same time though, we enjoyed many blessings in 2020 as well. As hard of a year as it has been, that is true for each one of us. God granted us blessing after blessings even in the midst of some of the hardest days in my lifetime.
On this Sunday, you and I have the opportunity to finish our final Sunday strong.
Worship In-Person or Online — But Worship with Your Church Family
Of all the decisions you can make today, let me strongly suggest finishing strong by attending worship in-person or online today.
Regardless of what you have done the rest of this year, you can finish the year strong by participating in worship today. Two things will happen to you if you do this. First, you will be blessed. Your soul will find sweet refreshment from God’s Word, the singing, the fellowship, and the specific intention to end well. Second, you will be a blessing to someone. Just as you can receive a blessing from someone else in your church family, you can also be one as well. Please do not underestimate the power of your presence both online and in-person as a service to others.
Anticipate What God Can Do in You Through Worship
This week in study for today’s sermon, I ran across an interesting statement that you may find helpful and challenging as well. As Jesus’ parents took Him to the Temple for His first visit according to the custom at the time, we learn of a man named Simeon. This man had been promised by the Spirit that He would meet Israel’s promised Messiah before He died. Dr. Luke describes this meeting. Check out the simple way Luke describes it:
So he came by the Spirit into the temple (Luke 2:27).
On this particular Sabbath day, Simeon had no idea that he would meet the Messiah. No one sent him a special bulletin announcement or offered him a free gift for going to the Temple that day. Instead, in the Spirit, he came expecting — expecting something good. He anticipated that God had something for him. Did he know that this was going to be the day that he met the Messiah? No. But he came anticipating that God was at work, God kept His promises, and that the best place for Him to be was in the Temple.
Regardless of Your Past 51 Weeks…
On this Sunday, let me encourage you to not be discouraged by your past 51 weeks. Regardless of what you have done or not done over the past 51 weeks, today is an opportunity to finish strong.
- Have you struggled making church a priority over the past year?
- Have the pressures of your world tended to crush your spirit?
- Would you identify with those who have struggled worshiping with anticipation?
- Have you began using Sundays as a day to think about yourself and not consider God and others?
- Have you falsely believed that rest is the best thing for you rather than anticipatory worship?
If you answered any of these questions with a “Yes,” then you are not alone. Many individuals have struggled with worshiping online or being able to get back out and participate in-person. Others have tended to take a break as well. As a follower of Christ, bad habits are easy to establish in the pressure-filled moments of life. One decision leads to another to another to another. If we are not careful, we end up where we never intended — selfishly starving our own souls and hindering others.
If this is where you are, you do not have to remain there. Take the next good step toward corporate worship.
Your soul needs it.
Someone else needs it as well.
On this Sunday, finish strong!
If you do not have a church home, feel free to worship with us either in-person or online at 10:00 AM CST. You can get directions online at www.sonrisebaptist.com or can join our service online.
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
