Listen reverently to the Word of God in I John 4:19.  These are words you can trust, "We love Him because He first loved us." 

Some of you know that I have a Scottish background... my middle name is Murray.  There's a delightful New Year's Eve custom in Scotland called "first footing".  The idea is to be the first person to step across a friend's threshold to wish them a Happy New Year, and toast their health and happiness.  Building on that tradition, I'd like to suggest a New Year's resolution that would transform our relationships.  It's to commit this year to be a "first stepper", and become an initiative lover.  What a great year it would be if instead of waiting to have people express love to us, we would take the first step.  And in misunderstandings, what if we were the first to say that we were sorry?  Or what if in strained or broken relationships we didn't wait for the other person to ask for our forgiveness, but we became the one to take the initiative to give or seek forgiveness?

God is the original first-stepper.  God stepped into history in Christ to reconcile the world.  John said, "We love Him because He first loved us."  Our love for God is but a response to God's grace, acceptance, and forgiveness.  John goes on in verse 20 to tell us that one of the ways we love God is by loving others.  We do that by emulating how God has loved us.  Before we earned or deserved love or forgiveness, Paul said, "Therefore be followers of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ has loved us and given Himself for us."  (Ephesians 5:1,2).  The Greek word for "follower" is mimetes, meaning "imitator".  We are to imitate His love as we seek to express to others the quality of initiative love He's given to us.  So resolve in the New Year to take the first step in expressing love and forgiveness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Prayer:  God of New Years, new hopes, and new promises, lead us into the future with faith and a sense of purpose.  How happy we are to know that you are our God, and that neither death, nor life, nor the events of the past, nor the fear of the future can keep us from your amazing grace.  Spirit of Scripture, be with us in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen.