Thought for the week: Time is short, but let us all have a new beginning in faith
Today is the first wedding anniversary of our younger daughter Ruth and her husband Jack. They keep saying - “We can’t believe where the year has gone. So much has taken place in such a short period of time!”
This week I also called in with good friends, Ena and Leslie, who had just received a congratulations card from King Charles, having celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and they too kept saying something almost identical: - “We can’t believe where the years have gone; the time has simply flown by!”
Interestingly enough, the Apostle Paul makes a very similar comment when writing to the church in Corinth, he says: ‘The time is short!’ We only have one life. Whither married or single, male or female, it is over in a flash. Hence, we need to use the time entrusted to us well, and whatever else, not to waste it!
The traditional symbol for a first anniversary gift is ‘Paper’. Not very exciting you may say, unless of course it is a copy of Saturday’s News Letter!
The traditional present for a 60th anniversary is ‘Diamond’, much more appealing you might suppose, except when we appreciate that ‘Paper’ represents a clean blank page, the opportunity for a fresh beginning and a brand-new start, and ‘Diamond’ symbolises eternal love, immensely valuable, unbreakable and brilliant!
Which one of us at whatever age and stage doesn’t need both these gifts, paper and diamond: - a fresh new beginning and love that endures for ever?
Well, here is the stunning news: - Jesus provides both! In St John Chapter 3 a respectable religious man called Nicodemus visited the Lord under cover of darkness. However he may have presented himself to people in the daytime, Jesus perceives that this person desperately needs a pristine new genesis and a love that is utterly unshakable.
And Jesus was able to assure Nicodemus that both are available in Him! Jesus offers a brilliant fresh start: By the Holy Spirit’s power, Nicodemus can be "born anew" - that is, given a whole clean beginning and through Jesus’ atoning death on the cross he can be embraced by love that is secure, takes away all fear of judgement and grants eternal hope.
Jesus explains to Nicodemus how this pure clean slate is given: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”.
First wedding anniversary or 60th; Paper or Diamond, time is short! Whatever our age and stage, single or married, female or male, may we all embrace this fresh new beginning with Jesus, and His love that endures for ever.