Daily Worship

Finding time for a Hogmanay Hallelujah!

Albert Bogle December 31, 2022 0 4
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Romans 8: 12-17 (NRSVA)

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Now would we not sing a hallelujah if we discovered we were heirs to an amazing treasure.

My father told a story about a very wealthy man he use to work for, way back in the 1930s. He used to say to the workers, look after the estate for me, because one day it will all be yours. The men used to laugh not believing it possible. When he died, he did just that and left all his land to the people who had been working on it at the time of his death. He kept his promise.

What an amazing truth to be revealed to us in our scripture reading this last day of the year. We are indeed heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. What does this mean for us? It means we have a stake in the future of creation. It’s meant to be an encouragement to live well and not to give up in seeking to serve God for God has a plan to share his eternal future with people like you and me. And that is surely worth a final year hallelujah. Indeed it’s worth a great deal more. It tells us we are worth more than we might ever have imagined.

 

PRAYER:

 

Father

We pray

‘Your will be done’

Not fully realising

We feature in your will

Thank you generous Father

You have given us

Your name

A new life

And allowed us

To share in your eternal kingdom

All this

Given to us

Out of grace

I step into the new year

With great anticipation

With a hallelujah.