Good Counsel on New Year’s Eve

Text: James 4:13-17; 5:7-11

Reflection and Question: Tonight we party until the New Year comes. At midnight we will toast with fervent hope for the prospering of all our plans and dreams. But James offers a sobering reminder that our plans are at the mercy of what tomorrow brings, and we have no idea what that will be. James counsels patience and endurance, trusting in the compassion and mercy of God. How do you feel about trusting in the compassion and mercy of God on the brink of a new year?

Prayer: God of Compassion and Mercy, James answers his own question, “What is your life?” with these words, “For you are a mist that appears for a little and then vanishes.” As we begin a new year, bless all that we are and all that we do. Amen.

This meditation is based on the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).