Mark 6:8-11
Packing a Bag for the New Year
Stop. Take a deep breath. Have you already made a resolution for the new year?
Listen. Mark 6:8-11 says 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Reflect. I am so committed to new years’ resolutions that I honestly can’t remember a single one I have ever made. But I do know forming new and healthier habits is important. If you want to lose a few pounds to feel healthier then go for it. If you want to spend more time with your family or friends then go for it. The list goes on. Resolutions will not make God love us any more or any less because in Jesus God has already resolved to be with us. That being said J… If you haven’t already made a resolution then I offer this: in a year when so much has already been removed from our lives due to covid precautions, think of one additional thing you would like to leave behind. There is a difference between luggage and baggage.
Baggage is the stuff we carry around that we were never intended to carry. Baggage is dead weight that keeps us from the journey God desires for us. Baggage includes things like judgment, guilt, shame, greed, regret, hate, and more. Baggage holds us back from God’s promised abundant life.
Luggage includes things that are useful and life giving. When Jesus sends his disciples out he sends them with very little. They are only to carry things that are necessary for the journey ahead. If they had a bad experience, they were supposed to leave that behind, too, by shaking the dust off their feet.
As we enter this new year I ask: is there something that needs to be left behind, something that is weighing you down? I invite you to leave it in 2021.
Pray. Gracious God, help us to lighten our loads as we enter this new year. Free us from any burden(s) we may still be carrying. Help us to live into the abundant life you have promised us here and now. Amen.
Carry On.
Think of one word that will help you remember to leave behind your baggage. Write it down and carry it with you, pin it on your bulletin board, etc. Helpful words might include:
Forgiveness, Grace, Freedom, Love, Joy, Wonder, Peace, Trust, Life, Healing, Mercy, Gentleness, Faith, Unity, Compassion, Openness, Surrender, Acceptance, Gratitude, Hope, Listen, Purpose, Serve