God Is For Us All Year Long
Romans 8:31-39
I don’t think that St. Paul
As you do look back on the old year, you are often tempted to say good riddance. So often when you look back you can only see the trouble and the problems that you had to face. 2012 has had its share of problems. Economically, things were not that great. There are not many people who could say that their lives have not been touched by the slumping economy. You might think of health problems that you have faced. Good health doesn’t usually stand out in your minds but you do remember the illnesses that were diagnosed or the cold that seemed to hang on for weeks. There may have been family problems that left you worn out and confused, wondering which way to turn. There are a lot of negative things that could fill your minds as you say good bye to the old year. Saying good bye to the old year does not necessarily mean that you say good bye to the old problems. You hope that you could but they will no doubt be with you at least for a while as you turn the page and start to use a new calendar.
It is part of our human nature though to focus on the negative and either forget or give little attention to the many wonderful things that have happened to you in the past twelve months. There are many good things that that you have experienced that often balance out the bad for some reason, they fade from your mind rather quickly. Maybe the reason they fade from your mind is that many of those good things just seemed to come and go. They come into your life and then they leave. They have no real lasting value. When you think about it though, that same thing is true of the seemingly bad things that have happened to you. In the whole scheme of things, very little that happens to you on earth is of much lasting value. As a child of God, you know that you will have eternal life with God and that all earthly things are temporary. When you compare your time here on earth with eternity in heaven, things that happen here, whether you see them as good or bad, are actually very fleeting.
Again, as a child of God who has been reminded of the great gift of the Savior at Christmas time, you can look back on the year now coming to and end and think about some of the blessings that you have received and really look back then with joy. Things that are earthly and temporary give no lasting joy. Things spiritual though have a value that will benefit us now and for eternity. God’s love is yours now and forever. The forgiveness of sins that is yours through Christ is for now and it assures you that you will enjoy the perfect joy in heaven. Those blessings are lasting.
Therefore you can look back with joy because you can see how God has kept His promises of love to you. For help in listing some of those blessings we can turn to our text from Paul’s letter to the Romans. In verse 32 Paul says, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” The greatest blessing that you have as a child of God is Jesus. God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all. Over this past year you have been reminded often of what God did for you in giving His Son. You have just celebrated and are still celebrating the birth of Jesus and are still meditating on all that His birth means for you. As you look back on the year you can also recall how you celebrated Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. You were led to the cross to consider your sin that caused Jesus to suffer and die. You were drawn to the empty tomb on Easter morning to celebrate the fact that death could not hold Him and that because He lives, you shall live also. Thinking back on those truths, you can be filled with joy.
The rest of that verse reminds you also that God gives us all things. Because He did not even spare His own Son, He will also give you all the other things that you need. In His divine wisdom, He knows what you need and He lovingly provides for you. You also have celebrated that fact in the past year. Each day you gave thanks to God for His blessings but as a nation and as a church we set aside a day of Thanksgiving. It is a time for you to stop and think about the blessings that you have received from our gracious and merciful God.
As you read farther in the text you are also reminded by Paul that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is Christ Jesus. When you look back on the past year, you can see how this has been true. He still provides you with what you need, both physically and spiritually. In terms of your spiritual needs, you can see that He continues to provide you with the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments. The Word is still preached and available to you. I think I would be correct in saying that every household in our church family has at least one Bible. The church is still open and is regularly offering the Word of Life. The Sacraments are still being offered for the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith. Because these things are given so freely and regularly, we often take them for granted. You have to remember what a great gift from God these things are. It is God’s way of providing you with the spiritual food that is necessary for your soul’s survival. Without them you would perish. The Means of Grace are truly a blessing and as you think of how they have been given to you during this past year, you can be joyful.
Paul also says that in the difficulties of life, you are more than conquerors through Him who loved you. As you look back on the past year, you can say the same thing. His love has sustained you and the victory is yours. When you think of those in the family who have died in the past year can say that they too are more than conquerors. They especially know what it means to win the victory. Those who have died in the Lord now have the victor’s crown of righteousness, the crown of life, promised to all who are faithful unto death. You truly can look back at the old year with joy. In spite of all the problems and struggles, you can say with Paul, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
As you now look ahead to the new year you can reflect on how God has helped you in the past and look ahead with confidence. As you think of how He has shown His love to you in the past, there is no reason for you to think that His love will not continue. God’s promises are sure. You can depend on Him and He will never leave you. You have His promise that nothing can separate you from His love. The last two verses of this chapter assure us of that. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Of special interest to us on this New Year’s Eve is that statement, “nor things to come.” Nothing to come can separate you from the love of God. There is nothing in 2013 that can separate you from God’s love. What a promise! What confidence that promise can give you! Nothing, not even your own unworthiness, can separate you from God’s love. It will always be there for you. It will always be offered to you through the Means of Grace. It can overcome any obstacle. With that assurance you can look forward to the new year with confidence that can keep you going through difficult times, with confidence that can make you to accept challenges in your life of service to the Lord and with confidence that, should the Lord call you from this life during the year to come, nothing will be able to separate you from His love and you will be with Him forever in the perfect joy of heaven.
May God grant you the grace to look back on this year with true joy, joy that comes from knowing that God has richly blessed you and may you be given the faith to look ahead with confidence, knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord. Amen.
Rev. Gerald Matzke
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