WATCHWORD:
2 “When you come into the land I am going to give you, you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year. 3 For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow before the Lord, uncultivated. Don’t sow your crops and don’t prune your vineyards during that entire year. 5 Don’t even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that come up, and don’t gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of rest for the land. 6-7 Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to all—for you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living among you. Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to graze there. 8 “Every fiftieth year, 9 on the Day of Atonement, let the trumpets blow loud and long throughout the land. 10 For the fiftieth year shall be holy, a time to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all enslaved debtors, and a time for the canceling of all public and private debts. It shall be a year when all the family estates sold to others shall be returned to the original owners or their heirs.11 “What a happy year it will be! Leviticus 25:2-11a
Meditation:
Jubilee!
Yes, Happy New Year, indeed. All who hold a mortgage on house, car, boat, whatever, would indeed be happy if we practiced the Jewish tradition of Jubilee. Debts forgiven. A fresh start for all (except for the mortgage and holders of notes who would shed a tear or start a war).
Wikipedia tells us a little of the ancient Jewish tradition of Jubilee. In Leviticus, we read “Every fiftieth year, on the Day of Atonement, let the trumpets blow loud and long throughout the land. For the fiftieth year shall be holy”.
The Year of Jubilee is the fiftieth year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years: seven sets of seven years, and, according to biblical regulations, had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in Israel. I can only imagine the chaos that would reign, if in some future time, a year of Jubilee were instituted in this country. Can you imagine? Wow!
Wait, just a doggone minute! We already have that blessing, and so much more. It is called God’s Love and Forgiveness. We don’t have a year of Jubilee, as such, we have a daily, minute-by-minute, moment of Jubilee, as we rest in God’s loving arms.
The blank page, the clean canvas, the cleared calendar, the joy-filled mind. A new beginning, if you choose to make it that way. It is yours and my choice. If we want to track last year’s mud onto this year’s clean carpet, we are free to do that, but then, what happens to the blessings of a fresh start?
So, here we are, at the beginning, a new year before us. What shall we write on that blank page? A new chapter, a new verse, or just the same old story carried over from before. Ultimately, we will write it, we will live it. It is ours and the choices are ours to make. May God bless this year for all of us, and may it be our very own Year of Jubilee. Amen.
I Am the New Year:
I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have-these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
Here’s to a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; Here’s to the things that are yet to come and to the memories that we hold. May good and faithful friends be ours, wherever we may roam.
Bulletin Board:
A final reminder that beginning next week, Watchwords will be not be posted on Saturdays, at least for the foreseeable future. You will receive Watchwords on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I continue to welcome your contributions in the form of thoughts, prose, poetry, meditations, prayers, etc. Each is very helpful in adding variety to our devotionals. Thank you. Stan Escott
A Prayer for Our New Year:
Heavenly Father, thank You for making all things new! As a new year begins, help us live each day for You. May we continually have a new song in our hearts to sing to You, no matter what comes our way. We trust in You because we know that Your mercies are new every morning, and nothing ahead of us will take You by surprise. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
