“The Lord your God is with you!

He is mighty to save.

He is mighty to save.”

Happy New Year, Church Family! This is Pastor Mark wishing you a prosperous and blessed new year!

One of the 12 minor prophets, Zephaniah wrote these words probably around 627 B.C. He was the overseer of the Temple in Jerusalem. His Great, Great Grandfather was King Hezekiah and he was distantly related to King Josiah.

Already a Priest, he was called to prophesy during a time when there was a confusion in religious and social loyalties. People worshiped God (Yahweh) but they also worshiped Baal and Molech cults and like the Assyrians they included the Sun, Moon and worship of the stars in their beliefs. Foreign dress and customs were also more important in practice than faith and truth. They cared more about how they fit in with the world then how they fit into the family of God.

So what are we worshiping in the new year? Don’t be confused by the pull of the world and foreign customs and world religions. We have the One God and He is mighty to save. We don’t have to be materialistic. We don’t have to be godless or worship creation. We don’t follow world religions. We follow the One God through Jesus Christ. We worship God. We belong to Him. We are saved by His grace.

Zephaniah’s message of our not being alone is echoed by other in the “Who’s Who” of the OT. Isaiah said it. So did Hosea, Joel and even Moses. Zephaniah’s book is a short one – only three chapters. Start with 3:14-20 and see where the prophet is telling us that God wants us to rejoice and sing because God overthrows evil. God is a mighty warrior who fights for us.

Join me (and Zephaniah) in the celebration. God speaks to each one through time and space and gathers us like sheep to the good Shepherd. He heals wounds that hurt. He defeats foes. He directs us toward his home of righteousness. He restores fortunes.

A few weeks ago, one of the families that had been the beneficiary of a large gift of help from Helping Hands ministry (a ministry in our church to help those in special times of need) had been saving his money ever since. He had accumulated the total of what was given him several years ago and gave it back to the church two weeks ago so someone else could be helped. I don’t think any of us thought that they should have to pay a gift back. But this family made a decision to pay it forward.

According to this prophet, peace began when we focus our attention to the one God. Peace in Hebrew is Shalom. It means much more than a peace sign. It means a reality of calm, peace and assurance. All of this is made possible in our lives when we realize that the Lord God is with us. He was with this prophet/priest and he was with this family that returned the gift so others might be helped. It is with me and I want you to have that same peace of God in your life.

This new year, accept that God is with you. He gathers us all no matter who we are or where we have been and puts our lives in order. He frees the obstacles in our way and keeps us in his will.

If you have read those verses 3:14-20, take note of verse 16 where he says, don’t let your hands go limp. We are to stay busy and not slack from the work to do.

And then in verse 17, guess what happens in our rejoicing? God rejoices with us. His quiet love produces a loud shout of gladness.

Verse 20 says the time is now. He was writing to those in Zion, but God’s word is timeless and without borders. The time is now and the place is wherever you are in this new year for you to celebrate that the Lord is with you. He is mighty to save us.

See you in Church!