“Our Time, Planned from the Beginning”

Let me share a moment from the biographical film ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2014). We find ourselves at a crucial turning point in this story of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. The scene is set in Cambridge, in 1963. Here’s this brilliant 21-year-old student, whose world is about to shift dramatically. He notices his body beginning to betray him, experiencing sudden stumbles and his speech beginning to slur. The diagnosis at the hospital was ALS(Lou Gehrig’s) disease that gradually paralyses the body’s muscle nerves and he informed him he had fewer than two years to live.

Stephen Hawking, confronted with a devastating diagnosis, began to deeply question the nature of time: ‘What really is time?’ Despite medical forecasts of only two years, he survived for another 55 years. Even kept in a wheelchair and communicating through a computer, he continued exploring the mysteries of time and the origin of the universe.

Hawking’s key insight about time was: ‘While there’s life, there’s hope.’ When faced with a two-year countdown, he saw time not as a physical concept, but as possibility. He used to say, ‘Every day could be a new universe.’ For him, time wasn’t just hands moving on a clock – it became about hope and new beginnings.

On this first Sunday of 2025, each of us has been given this new beginning. And already- yes, already some of us might already be thinking, “How many days are left in the year?” It’s only January 5th, but here we are, calculating 361 days left! Or maybe you’re thinking, “Wow, five days have passed already, time moves so fast!” And I know some of us might be quietly asking ourselves, “How much time do I have left?”

What significance does this new year hold for you? As we step into the new year, our hearts are packed with fresh goals and hopes. We gathered together for our first Sunday service of the year to commence on our journey through life and time, seeking divine wisdom and direction.

John’s Gospel opens with unforgettable first sentence: In the beginning was the Word. You may have thought of the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John begins this story of God working anew among His beloved creation with the word: ‘beginning.’ That first verse gives us three statements: The Word was in the beginning, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. If we bring these three together, ‘In the beginning, God existed as the Word.’

Isn’t great just thinking about it? While Genesis 1 reaches its climax with the creation of humans in God’s likeness, John’s Gospel climaxes in Jesus’ appearance as ’the Word made flesh.’ This is the One who was the Word from the beginning, the Word who created all things, the One who holds life and light within Himself.

Let us pause here and invite you to consider what a ‘word’ truly does. I’d like to share a personal story that illustrates the transformative power of words. When my second child was young, his fourth finger on the right hand was injured and needed emergency surgery. Just before he was taken into the operating room, I said to him, “It’s okay, my son. Mommy loves you.” In that moment, I saw something great – my words were more than just sounds. They were a lifeline of comfort.

I watched as his tears stopped and his tightly tensed shoulders relaxed. My words didn’t just describe love; they were love itself. His anxiety and panic soon cooled down, replaced by the power of a straightforward loving assurance. The mother’s love proved to be a powerful source of strength for him, turning the fear into trust.

This is exactly how Jesus’ words work. Just as my words brought peace to my son, Jesus is the spoken word and promise of God – a word that doesn’t just describe but is living Word. John clearly affirms that God is doing something new in Jesus. In the past, God expressed His will through the law and prophets, but now He has taken a step further, speaking directly to us through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

God’s Word shows us the very heart of His character and intention for us. Every word He speaks is purposeful, carrying within it a perfect plan for His creation. Unlike our temporary words or fleeting promises, His Word stands eternal, carrying His unchanging purpose through all time.

God’s plan, it is not like our New Year’s resolutions that often fade away by February. God’s plan is wonderfully good – as real as a mother’s love, as faithful as the sunrise each morning. When His time comes, these plans will bloom in our lives, bringing us joy we never expected. Think of how He cares for us: saving us when we’re lost, blessing us often in ways we don’t even notice, pouring out His grace in our everyday moments.

And here’s something incredible in Ephesians 1:4, it says, ‘He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…’ This means that even before our time began, God had already chosen us. We were already in His plan, and we are the special objects of His attention and love.

Now we stand at the beginning of 2025. This time we face is more than just possibility – it’s a time held within God’s grace, the same grace that chose us and loved us from the beginning. And because this life-giving light dwells within us, we may boldly declare: our time exists within God’s everlasting plan, Christ’s grace is being realised, and now is the moment to receive the Holy Spirit’s instruction.

Let’s take heart in this promise from Ephesians: ‘God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.’ Even before time began, we were His children, embraced by His grace. The year ahead isn’t just numbers on a calendar – it’s a fresh chapter of God’s faithful love unfolding each day. This is what the truth ‘In the beginning was the Word’ means for us today.

May we live in this amazing time of grace, revealing God’s glory through Jesus Christ, the light of life who dwells within us.