How shall we live in the New Year?

 The times demand we live “expectantly and boldly”!

  It is the way of the “God With Us” life!

 Matthew 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they re-plied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

  18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

 We can risk all living this way...

 … because God intervenes!

… because we are not starting over in 2017! God is growing us up in the “God with Us” life!  

… even though we live in a “world at war”!  

… no one is left out!

 WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Matthew 2:1-11
Tuesday:         Matthew 2:12-21
Wednesday:    Luke 2:22-32      
Thursday:        Luke 2:36-40  
Friday:            Habakkuk 3:2,17-19
Saturday:        Psalm 113

 A Prayer of Consecration for 2017

 My dear Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you now to be restored in You and renewed in You this day—the first day of 2017!

 Jesus, we confess that You are the author of our faith and the foundation of your church. We are called to be your children and your church in 2017. We now consecrate this year of life as individuals, as families and as your church to You and you alone! You are God and we are not!

 We surrender every aspect of our lives totally and completely to you! We yield our spirit, soul and body, our heart our mind and our will to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, fill us afresh this day and everyday this new year!

 Jesus, we receive all the work and triumph of your life, death, resurrection, ascension and current reign over our lives and over our church. We pray, “Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!” in our lives and in our church in 2017!

 Jesus, we are Yours totally and completely!

 Jesus, we are Your church totally and completely!

 Jesus, this is Your year totally and completely!

 We come in Jesus name against Satan and His Kingdom and bind and banish him and all forces of evil from our lives and our church this year in the powerful and victorious name of Jesus!

 We consecrate ourselves to Your purposes and surrender our agendas for this new year to You and You alone!

 We now call forth the Kingdom of God and the gracious reign of Jesus over ourselves, our families and our church in 2017!

 In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Amen