Promises, Promises

One, two, three, four. (Point to the calendar as you count off the Sundays in January.) Today is the fourth Sunday of the new year. Oh my, the days are flying by. Did any of you make any new year resolutions? You know what a resolution is, don't you? It is when you make a promise to yourself that you will do something to make this year better than last year. Perhaps you promised to make up your bed every morning. Maybe you promised to study harder in school. Would any of you like to tell us what promises you made? How are you doing at keeping those promises?

Do you think it is important for us to keep our promises? I do, and I'll tell you why. God shows us that he thinks it is important to keep our promises because he keeps his promises. We know that God keeps his promises, because the Bible tells us that God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18) We know that God keeps his promises because the Bible tells us that not one of his promises has failed. (Joshua 23:14) We know that God keeps his promises because the Bible tells us that he is faithful. (Hebrews 11:11)

In our Bible reading for today, Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth where he was brought up. As was his custom, he stood to read and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. This was what he read:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

When Jesus had finished reading, he rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the attendant and sat down. Everyone was watching and waiting to see what Jesus would say. He said to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus himself was a promise from God. All of the things which Jesus had read from the prophet Isaiah were promises from God. God kept his promises by sending his Son. Let us give thanks to God for keeping his promises.

Our Father, we thank you for your faithfulness in keeping your promises to us. Help us to be faithful in keeping our promises. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.