Daily Reflection January 13, 202 |
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As I prepare this January 13th reflection, I am writing at the time of year when many of us draft our personal resolutions for a new year . . . so I had that in mind as I read the Scriptures for this reflection. For me, this year, my resolutions relate to the question, “what should my life’s purpose be?” There is a line in a song I like that states “the purpose of life is to live a life filled with purpose,” and today’s readings bring to mind that, for those of us who are Christians, the purpose that should fill our lives is to worship and follow God. So in that context, here are some of the resolutions I am making for 2025: Live so that I reflect God in my life. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being. I confess that the word “refulgence” was unfamiliar to me. I looked at a couple dictionaries for definitions – bright, shining, radiant – and then I looked at other Bible translations to see how they render this verse. The Amplified version offers the fullest: The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s [a]Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence. Rejoice in the truth that the Lord is King! The Psalmist decares The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice! (Psalm 97:1) My pessimistic nature often leads me away from being joyful or delighted, which means I miss the full gift of God’s joy and delight. In my self-centeredness, I too often fail to recognize God as sovereign in all aspects of my life. Too often I am a spectator, when I should be joining with the angels and all of creation to worship God. Turn from sin and toward God. Our Alleluia verse, taken from today’s Gospel reading, commands us to repent and believe in the Gospel. (Mark 1:15) I sometimes find the repentance part of that sentence particularly difficult. Repentance is more than just feeling regret, also more than asking forgiveness. Those things I don’t find too problematic. It is the last bit, though, where my heart and mind must change so that I stop repeating certain sins. For example, I know the commands “Do not worry” and “Do not be afraid;” but my default has been to worry and fear instead of placing my trust in God. So I will ask for the grace to trust and to change. Follow better. Mark 1 tells us that when Jesus called, Andrew, Simon, James and John immediately dropped everything to follow. They prioritized following Jesus over work and familial responsibilities. Too often I have been ready to follow on my own terms, willing to do what Jesus calls when it did not conflict with my other plans. In fact, I may not even have listened for Jesus calling until after finishing work and taking some “me” time in front of the television. My song for 2025 will be Lead Me, Lord* and I will follow.
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