Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14 & John 1: 10-18
Happy New Year! Stepping into the New Year with light and hope, we stand at a doorway. Behind us lie months of the unexpected – moments of joy and gratitude, alongside loss, exhaustion, unanswered prayers, and quiet tears.
(Slide 1) As the new year begins, our hearts are often mixed. Hope and uncertainty walk side by side. We give thanks for what God has done yet feel cautious about what lies ahead. In this moment, God speaks. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God calls His people to sing and rejoice, not because everything is restored, but because the Lord Himself is gathering His people.
What does it feel like to be isolated and alone within communities, within families, within our own lives? To be physically, emotionally, or spiritually cut off from what we cherish is deeply painful. Drifting without a place for body and soul to rest easily weakens faith, dims hope, and breeds despair.
In Jeremiah 31:7-14, the exiled Israelites knew this experience well. They were far from home, displaced and uncertain. And yet, even in the wilderness of exile, the seed of faith took root. God was present there. It was God who called His people out of exile and toward hope.
God invites His people to sing and proclaim, giving hope. Hope is grounded not in circumstances, but in God’s faithfulness. God’s word promises a return home, new life springing forth in barren places, and songs of joy rising from the silence of despair. God will bring change – gathering, leading, guiding, and enabling His people to walk forward again. (vv.8-9)
God welcomes the weary, the wounded, and the uncertain. The blind, the lame, pregnant mothers – no one is excluded from God’s restoration. Restoration is more than survival; it is renewed life. On this great journey home, the weak and the strong, young and old, women and men, all those at risk, travel together as a restored community. God gathers not just individuals, but a community. Restoration is marked by inclusion. May we enter this New Year walking together in faith, in care, and in shared hope.
(Slide 2) Scattered people are gathered. Wandering people are guided. Sorrow is turned into joy. What does it mean to be brought by God, gathered by God, led by God, and to walk with God? Despair gives way to promise. Through the God who keeps His promises, new life begins. God is our shepherd who brings His people home and turns grief into gladness. We step into the unknown, but we do not step alone. We are guided by a faithful Shepherd. May we begin this year with trust, not fear.
(Slide 3) God promises to lead the weary, to carry the weak, to turn mourning into joy and sorrow into gladness. And then, in John’s Gospel, we hear an even deeper promise: “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” God steps into our darkness as Light. He enters our fragile world with grace upon grace. Today, we do not begin this New Year alone. We begin it with a God who gathers, a Shepherd who leads, and a Light that shines in the darkness.
(Slide 4) In John 1, the Light comes into the world, illuminating all things. Yet not everyone sees this light or chooses to live by it. God does not force faith upon us; instead, He extends an invitation. The greatest gift we have received is Jesus Christ Himself. And yet, as Christmas fades, the world often fails to unwrap God’s gift or recognise its worth. Some admire it briefly, then pack it away with the decorations and forget it. But Jesus, the Light of the world, cannot be confined or hidden.
(Slide 5) Before any new year begins, Christ already is. The Light of Christ is not overcome by darkness. Even when the world does not recognise Him, the Light continues to shine. Many do not receive Him, yet those who do are given a new identity: children of God. The New Year is not simply about fresh starts or self-reinvention; it reveals to whom we belong. We are children of God and sheep of the Lord who tends us with care. The year begins not with striving, but with divine belonging.
God is present with neighbours and strangers, the hopeful and the despairing, the faithful and the doubtful – wherever people are, God is there. In the Incarnation, God’s love and mercy come near, right into our homes and lives. To receive Christ’s light is to receive grace upon grace. God does not remain distant; He comes close. In Jesus, God’s light and grace enter our world, offering new life and a new identity.
As we step forward into this New Year, our hearts are shaped by God’s promises. Jeremiah reminds us that God gathers the scattered and turns tears into songs of joy. John reminds us that the eternal Word has come near – full of grace and truth. The road ahead may not be easy. There will be uncertainty, moments of confusion, and days when the burden feels heavy. But God goes with you. The Light walks ahead of you. Grace will meet you always.
(Slide 6) We are not simply starting another year on the calendar. We are stepping into a year held by God’s faithful hands. A year covered by grace upon grace. A year guided by the Light that shines in every darkness. So go forward with trust, not fear. With hope, not despair. With joy, knowing we are gathered, loved, and called children of God. As recipients of grace upon grace, may we reflect Christ’s light – in our words, our deeds, and our compassion.
May the Lord bless you and lead you into a year filled with His light, His presence, and His unfailing love.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)