Title: Words and deeds/Matthew 21:28-32
Contents
As the year draws to a close, I think it's time to look back at all the lives we've said and done throughout the year. Time always flows the same, and sometimes the day is not long and sometimes the day is not short. However, depending on what kind of work or event occurred in the division of time, a day may feel like a thousand years or a year may pass as quickly as a day. In addition, the division of time provides a motivation to reflect on the past, to reflect and enjoy, and to plan for the times to come. When you look back and plan your life, you need to have the right metrics for it. Based on that criterion, you can evaluate the quality of your life in the past and think that you will be able to plan well for the future. Now is the time when the end of the year draws near. So, through a parable of Jesus, I would like to think about the standard for looking back on our lives.
Today is the last Sunday of the year and the second Sunday of Christmas. The biblical account of the coming (birth) of Jesus Christ does not serve as a historical narrative in itself. The fact that Jesus Christ came to this earth 2,000 years ago gives us hope for the future today. In Luke and Matthew's accounts of the birth, Jesus' appearance was not of a noble status, but of lowliness, lying in a manger, and had to flee because of Herod's murder. Also, the hope shown in the figure of the young Jesus is well expressed in Luke's 'Hymns to Mary'. Therefore, when we celebrate Christmas today, it should bring back memories of the past and advance the kingdom of God coming from the future and the kingdom of God that is already present for those who do God's will. This is to know the purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth, emptying himself, and being crucified, and to practice the will that God requires of us in our lives.
Now is the time to come to the end of the year. We need standards to reflect on and plan our lives. Based on those criteria, you can evaluate your past quality of life and plan well for the future. In today's parable, God's will in the correlation between words and actions is the standard. At the start of the new year, we make many plans and, as the days pass, we achieve them, and sometimes we change or give up on them. From now on, personally, the church, and each department and congregation, let's look back on this year's plans and plan new things. However, the most important thing is whether the plan and execution were in accordance with God's will. No matter how grand and good a plan is, if it is not worthy of the kingdom of God, it cannot lead to salvation. Then you will be asked, 'What is God's will?' and 'What is God's will?' "Pray while savoring the Bible. God will speak in it."