3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. – Hebrews 1:3
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope and pray you all had a peaceful Christmas and New Year. This past Christmas and New Year, for many of us, was filled with disappointment. Last minute plans were changed. For some of us it was, sadly, full of illness, including Covid-19. Many of us will, no doubt, be feeling weak, tired, frustrated, angry, overwhelmed, and sad. Many of the worries and cares we carry have simply not gone away with the changing of a new year. In the middle of another period of lockdown, fuelled with more uncertainty and anxiety about life we might be wondering how we can go on; how much more of this we can take. This is where our verse from Hebrews can give us great comfort and encouragement. It reminds us that Jesus is sustaining all things by his powerful word. He is the one who keeps our universe going day by day. He is the one holding the law of gravity together so we don’t collapse into an enormous black hole. He is the one allowing the sun to hold its course in the sky to give us light and life. He is the one giving us each and every breath we breathe in every minute of every day. He is the one strengthening us and enabling us to keep on trusting in him through the power of his Holy Spirit. And here is the thing: he has sustained us through 2020 and he will sustain us throughout 2021. He has not changed. He is still sustaining all things by his powerful word and he will continue to sustain us, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. Sometimes it might not feel like it. Sometimes he may only give us what we need to get through one day at a time but and in those moments if we are tempted to wonder how we might survive tomorrow or next week, or get to the end of the month, let’s remember that Jesus is keeping us going. He sustained us yesterday, he has sustained us for today and he will sustain us for tomorrow. Not only will he sustain us in this life but gloriously he will sustain us into eternity. So as we enter into 2021 with all the joys and sorrows, challenges and opportunities it will no doubt bring us, let’s remember that Jesus is sustaining the universe and our individual lives by his powerful word.
Happy New year
Mark