First Footings for the New Year

A New Year Offering – 2012

2 Chron. 29:31 (ESV)

Then Hezekiah said, "You have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord." And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

Renewal and recommitment are often the hopes we bring to a New Year. We hope for better days and pray that God will give us strength to do better. The way to get started off on the right foot, of course is in giving due tribute to the One who holds our days and in whom time and eternity his held, our faithful Creator and Redeemer. The Scotch Presbyterians were not much on celebrating Christmas, but big on celebrating the New Year. Today things have changed, and like most of the world, gift-giving happens on Christmas day, or there about. But in years past, giving a neighbor a gift and a blessing on the morning of the New Day, known as Hogmanay in Scotland, was a tradition that is all about getting on the right foot (called first footings) with your neighbors and bringing goodwill among the children of man. In biblical times, renewal was also a time to cross thresholds of goodwill, but for the people of God it meant bringing the right sacrifice to God’s house. In dark days of hypocrisy and idolatry, no matter the sacrifice, worship was not acceptable to God, if given without true devotion. Getting a right footing with God meant sacrifices of the heart.
I’ve been thinking lately about this as it relates to our worship and our new year. I am asking myself what kind of offering will I be bringing to God? Of course, we don’t bring sacrifices to get on right footings with God, because Jesus did that for us. The cross of Jesus is where we start in renewal with a fresh start. Thank offerings are tributes of a heart that knows the gift of that new start. Tomorrow we will break bread, drink wine and hear the Gospel of our Lord on the first day of the New Year. Get on the right foot and join us in worship and in giving God our best and our first.