It's a New Season
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | January 4, 2026
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Read: Ephesians 1:3 – 14 (NIV)
In following the Lectionary, it is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church that calls for our attention this morning. And depending on which version of the Bible you may be reading from, these verses come under the heading, “Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ” (NIV), “Christ Brings Spiritual Blessings” (CEV), “The believers’ blessings” (CEB) or simply “The God of Glory” (MSG).
And because it truly is a blessing that we have made it to this first Sunday of another New Year... as we prepare to take a look at this text, I want to invite us to focus on the subject: IT’S A NEW SEASON.
But before we get to the text, I want to tell you about something that happened recently. Ron and I discovered that we had an issue with our kitchen sink. For quite some time, it had been draining slowly whenever there was a significant amount of water in the sink, like after doing the dishes.
Finally, last Sunday morning, it was no longer just draining slowly when there was a lot of water... it was not draining at all. We tried doing a couple of things that had been moderately successful in the past, but it was all to no avail. So, that meant I had to call in the expert... my cousin, Keith.
Keith is a plumber by trade, so we made arrangements for him to come over on Monday to check out the sink. Unfortunately, by the time Monday morning rolled around... Keith was not feeling well.
But all hope was not lost... there was a ram in the bush... and one of his colleagues was able to come to the rescue.
Although Ron and I had been theorizing over what object could have possibly found its way into the drain and caused it to stop flowing... the plumber used a specialized tool to break through the sludge that had been building up over time... and I am happy to report that our drain is now flowing better than ever.
Ironically, the next day I was reading one of my daily devotional books, Walking in Grace... and the author of that day’s devotional talked about how they have often had plumbing issues at the beginning of the New Year.
He went on to talk about how clearing the drain of whatever item may have caused the clog and stopped the water from flowing freely could be seen as a metaphor for the things that he needed to clear from his heart and mind so he could see things more clearly.
And that got me to thinking...
When the plumber came, he cleared out sludge that had been building up for who knows how long... to the point that the drain had gotten completely blocked...
And isn’t that how sin creeps into our lives... building up over time until it takes over our lives and blocks us from receiving the blessings that God has for us?
Now, what really struck me was the fact that the tool that the plumber used is called a snake... something that is literally used in the Bible as a representation of the sin and evil that clogs our spirits... and although it was a different type of snake that what we read about in the Bible... it was still a snake that was ultimately able to break through the sludge that had built up.
Something that we would normally think of as a symbol of all that is wrong in our lives was the very thing that was able to make everything right when it came to our kitchen sink.
And that is when my thoughts shifted to the cross...
An object that was so often used to bring shame and disgrace... that is the object that was used to inflict an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering upon Jesus... not because of anything that He had done wrong... but because of all the wrong that we have done... it was that very object that God used to make everything right in our lives.
God took an instrument that was meant for torture and evil... and God used it for our good...
And that brings us to our text for this morning in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians... particularly verses 7 – 10, which in the Message Paraphrase read:
It is because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on that cross at Calvary... the sacrifice that God knew would be needed to pay the price that our sins deserved... it is that act of love that has made it possible for us to say without hesitation or reservation... IT’S A NEW SEASON.Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
It is through Christ’s death on that cross that we have been given the gift of eternal life... not because of anything that we have done to deserve it... but simply because of God’s unconditional love for us.
In fact, if we were to look at Paul’s letter to the Romans, we would find that what we truly deserved is the exact opposite of eternal life. Looking at Romans 3:23, we read, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
While in Romans 6:23, we read, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And yet in Romans 5:8, we read, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We all have sinned... the price that we should pay for that sin is death... however, because of God’s love for us... and because of God’s grace... His unmerited favor... we have been given the gift of eternal life instead.
We are the beneficiaries of a truly amazing gift... Christ paid the penalty that our sins deserved... which means not only can we live our lives free from the fear of punishment... we can live our lives in the peace that comes from knowing that because of God’s great love for us... IT’S A NEW SEASON.
The fact that each of us is here today means we have been given the blessing of walking into this new season... able to see another new year...
A new year that was not promised to any of us... but a new year that God has gifted to all of us...
And that means it is up to us to make the best of it that we possibly can... all for the glory of God. That is why in verses 11 – 14 we read:
God has a purpose and a plan for our lives... which is why God was willing to go to such great lengths for us...It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
The prophet Jeremiah (29:11) said it like this, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Keep in mind, when Jeremiah wrote those words to the children of Israel... they were living in exile... likely feeling little, if any, hope for the future...
And yet God gave them words of encouragement that the day would come when they would no longer be confined to that place of exile... they would walk freely in their homeland again... and when the time came, they would be able to say unequivocally... IT’S A NEW SEASON.
And it is that same encouragement that we can have today...
In spite of what we may have done in the past... regardless of what the circumstances may look like around us in the present... and despite whatever challenges we may be facing in the future... we can walk boldly into this new year... praising God because IT’S A NEW SEASON.
IT’S A NEW SEASON that God wants us to use to bring Him glory in all that we say and do... even if at times that seems like it is much easier said than done.
Perhaps you have heard me say in the past that I no longer make New Year’s resolutions... primarily because I generally don’t have much success in keeping them. No matter how well intentioned I may be on January 1st... it does not take long before all those good intentions somehow get set to the side.
But there is good news for us today... particularly when it comes to those traditionally unfulfilled resolutions...
Although we may fail... God ALWAYS redeems what feels like a failure to us and uses it for our good and His glory.
Although we sometimes fall short... God ALWAYS restores us and puts us right where we should be to do what we have been called to do.
And although we tend to forget... God ALWAYS remembers and fulfills the promises He has made to us.
We can ALWAYS count on God to do what He says He will do... even when we drop the ball and don’t live up to all the things we say we are going to do.
God is ALWAYS faithful... and God has promised to love us and show compassion toward us... not just when we are having a good day and things are going well... but ALWAYS.
It is in Lamentations 3 (22 – 23) that we read, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
These verses are the inspiration for one of my favorite hymns, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which was written back in 1923 by Thomas Chisholm. However, it was a full century after that, in the summer of 2024, when I stumbled across an arrangement of that song entitled, “You’ve Been So Faithful,” which is sung by the gospel duo, Ted and Sheri.
It is a song that I played frequently as we were dealing with everything that was happening with Mom at the time. That song served as a reminder that no matter what was going on at any particular moment... no matter how difficult things had become... that song comforted me with the assurance that God always has been and always will be faithful.
And while that was arguably one of the most difficult seasons of our lives... I am grateful that we made it through... and I can stand here today at the start of this new year and say without a shadow of a doubt... God is still faithful...
And that is why, as we move into 2026... I want to encourage us to do so with an appreciation and understanding that IT’S A NEW SEASON.
And because IT’S A NEW SEASON... we have the opportunity to bring glory to the Lord in all that we say and do... to live into the command to love God and the people of God... and to promise to serve Jesus with all of who we are.
And it is with that thought in mind, that I want to invite us to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: O Jesus, I Have Promised #612.
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