You Shall Talk of Them [New Year Service]

This sermon reflects on the life of faith of believers today, drawing on the truth proclaimed by the apostle Paul in the New Testament era that faith comes by hearing. The passage emphasizes that true faith is formed not simply by reading the Bible or listening to sermons, but only when God's word is deeply engraved on the heart and life and brings about change. In the past, even when copies of Scripture were hard to come by, the people of Israel came to understand God's will by memorizing the word, murmuring it, and meditating on it, and that truth became the strength that firmly protected their families and communities.

The sermon points out that believers today should be thankful that they can access the Bible and sermons so easily, but at the same time should take care that the word does not merely make their ears grow bigger. In particular, it emphasizes that the head of a household passing on and teaching the word to the children is not a mere duty but a central spiritual practice through which the family becomes a vessel for receiving God's blessing. It presents turning back to God with repentance and thanksgiving, believing that God will work even amid unseen threats such as a virus, as the only way to endure this age.

The sermon asks what believers murmur and meditate on all day long, and what the focus of their lives is. It invites deep reflection on what kind of faith they will show so as not to forget God and to protect their families in a rapidly changing world, and on how that faith will be passed on to the next generation.