Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14 & John 1:10-18
Happy New Year! As we gather on this second Sunday after Christmas and approach the season of Epiphany, we are reminded that the joy of Christmas does not fade with the passing of a single day. Christmas reveals the wonder of God’s love, and Epiphany celebrates the light of Christ shining for all the world. Together, they invite us to marvel at the continuing gift of life and light in Jesus. Today, we celebrate that through Christ, God’s grace continues to overflow, guiding us, renewing us, and calling us to reflect His light in the world.
Jeremiah 31 pictures how the returning captives sang with joyful hearts and faces shine because of God’s goodness. People expressed overwhelming joy as they looked forward to going home again. God assured them of a safe and peaceful journey. For those who have experienced restoration, there would be exuberance, and happiness would replace depression. Freedom and delight would replace grief and misery. People will experience and enjoy abundance and spiritual blessings because of God’s promises, his goodness, and his restoration.
Today’s text begins with ‘Sing, shout out, and make praises,’ and God urges them and us to pray for the remnant. In verses 8-9, God reminds us to hold the hand of the weak and walk with them as we continue to go through life and towards the kingdom of God. May we move forward without anyone falling behind by helping each other and holding the hand of the vulnerable.
In the following verses, we encounter our God who gathers from the ends of the earth and brings them back. In our lives, God gathers His people, bringing them back with compassion, joy, and unity. The Lord’s goodness is evident in the abundance and rejoicing of His people.
In God’s restoration, mourning turns to joy, and God’s provision satisfies the soul. God delights in doing good for people who love, trust, and honour Him. As we step into the new year, trust in God’s promise to restore and renew our lives, even amidst challenges.
Jeremiah speaks of God restoring His people, and John emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of that restoration through grace and truth.
In John 1, we hear of the Word made flesh, dwelling among us, and from His fullness, we receive grace upon grace-a boundless gift that transforms our lives. In verses 10 to 18, despite being rejected, Christ came into the world to bring light and life. God’s efforts to reach out to His creation have been rejected and hindered by human depravity and spiritual blindness, and this is still happening today.
Even when He shone the light of salvation on earth, the world did not recognise Him and rejected Him. They did not believe, even though they had experienced Him first-hand, heard Him proclaim, and seen His miracles performed countless times.
However, as the life of people, Christ is the source and sustenance of all life. In John, the Word made flesh mediates new life that is the result of reconciliation with God. Jesus injected dying humanity with life. The Word is also the light that enlightens life. The healing power of Christ renews and restores our minds, enabling us to embrace the truth of God in Jesus Christ.
God has given us a new year. It is a great blessing that we believe in and love Jesus and walk the path of Christ’s discipleship. Through faith in Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family. As we see in verse 12 and 13, we are begotten of God, children of God, new creations in Christ.
You may know that I have moved many times, but despite all the changes, our one constant address is ‘in Christ’. In Christ, we come to know God and participate in His grace. Wherever we live and stay, may we participate more deeply and joyfully in God’s grace in this new year we have been given.
Verse 16 says, “Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” God adds grace upon grace. May we find true satisfaction in the abundance of God’s grace and experience true joy in Christ. Jesus embodies God’s glory, truth, and grace, offering us the fullness of His blessing. May we start the year by focusing on the blessings and grace we receive through Christ, allowing it to inspire gratitude and hope.
In today’s Scripture readings, Jeremiah highlights the joy of being gathered by God, while John shows the ultimate joy of God dwelling among us in Christ. Let us bring our burdens from the past year to God and trust in His power to transform sorrow into gladness.
Jeremiah looks to a time of renewal and satisfaction, while John focuses on the new identity given to believers as children of God. May we reflect on what it means to live as a child of God, rooted in faith, and committed to walking in His light.
We have all received one blessing after another. Various Bible translations and paraphrases render this phrase (v.16) differently:
NIV & CEV: “one blessing after another”
ESV & NRSV & NRSVUE & AMP: “grace upon grace”
KJV: “grace for grace”
LB: “blessing upon blessing heaped upon us”
NLT: “one gracious blessing after another”
MSG: “gift after gift after gift”
Whatever your expression, I pray that you have a year filled with God’s grace, and that you will have a deeper and closer encounter with our God who always piles grace upon grace. The world is still dark, and we live in chaos and uncertainty, but may we rely on God to bring grace upon grace into our lives, our homes, our churches, and our world.
In 2025, let us embrace God’s restoration and celebrate God’s abundant grace. In the spirit of new beginnings, may we seek ways to share the grace, truth, and joy of Christ with those around us.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)