Acts 2:38-40     Do We Believe in Promises Anymore?   January 1, 2006

     A young Roman Catholic priest promised the leaders of his congregation that he wouldincrease attendance if they would allow him to make some changes.Tempted by such a promise, they agreed with a mixture of hesitancy andexpectation. First, the priest removed the pews and replaced themwith comfortable theater seating.  Next, he dismissed the choir and added upbeat vocalists and a praise band. Finally, the change that got him into real trouble was his additionof a drive-through confessional. The leaders could tolerate the concept,especially when it was noted that the number of confessions had doubled.It was the sign outside near the driveway that disturbed them. It read,“Stop and tell or go to…”  Well, the congregation was not happy.        

Today is New Years Day.  It is a time when many people make new promises, new resolutions to keep.  Yet it seems so easy to break those promises to ourselves and those promises to other people. The first year I began serving as pastor of a church,there was a man who submitted an enormously generous pledge card insupport of the church budget campaign. I was thrilled! I thought that wehad put our budget goal well over the top! A church financial leader toldme not to get my hopes up. “Oh, he turns that in every year.”       

What have been some significant promises in your life?  Maybe you thinkof wedding vows. Both the church and society places value on relationships,yet the rate of divorce leaves many fearful for the integrity of marriage.  Or we see a young couple stand before a congregation with their newborn child.They promise to raise the child in a Christian home and live in the wayof the gospel. They promise to pray for and with the child that this littleone might one day accept the gift of salvation.  It is really a bold promise. Or perhapsyou have made a serious soul-searching assessment of your life. You wantto go somewhere, be something, do something, change something, aspireto something bigger, better, higher in your life.  And you promise yourself that you will reach that goal. 

      Why are our promises so hard?  Because very often for many of us, we fail to realize that the promise is not the end of the road but only the beginning.  Genuine promises cause growth. Genuine promises stretch us just a bit.  They lead us out of our comfort zones into an area where discomfort yields great reward.  Real promises require a plan to fulfill that

promise.  Real promises require follow up on your action plan. This is where the fruits

of growth are realized.  Working on our relationships makes our marriages stronger.  Getting up on Sunday mornings year after year to get the children to church builds in them the way of faith. Years of study and sacrifice yield educational credentials and career opportunities. Sacrifice and wise stewardship yield financial objectives and economic health. Real promises are more than words.  They are actions to go with the words.

      Let me tell you some great news this morning.  God keeps His promises.  Some may read today’s scripture as merely an account of the first converts to the Christian faith, but there is also an important word here about the integrity of God’s promise of salvation.  In this passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter proclaims the promise of God to save those who turn to God. This is a passionate statement testifying to a powerful God. God always keeps His promise!

    Charlie is playing basketball this winter.  Do not tell anyone but he is playing at the Baptist Church.  I have promised myself that I will be at his basketball games on Saturday mornings this winter. I do not wish to disappoint my son, so I plan to work to keep the promise that I made.  Now normally, I train in Aikido every Saturday morning, but I will have to miss a few weeks.  I may miss some meetings or have to give up a chance for a trip to another event.  I may have to tell some of you “No” if you ask me to do something on a Saturday morning.  You see, my promise will cost something. There will be some sacrifice involved not only for me but also for others influenced by my choice to make the promise.  

     God’s promise to us also cost Him a great sacrifice.  God so loved the world that He gave his only son.  God’s promises are not cheap.  They come at great cost.  In Jesus Christ, God has paid all He had to give us all He is in His love.  God’s promises are not mere words.  God’s promises are true. They are true because He paid the price.  He followed through with action.  God did what He said He would do.  And Peter proclaimed those words—God will save all those who turn to him.  Whatever our situation, God will save.  We can believe God because He has already paid the full price. 

      We live in a world of cheap promises.  Every advertisement promises us a better life if we buy their product.  And this time of year, we ourselves make promises and resolutions that often we do not keep.  The promise of God reminds us of what genuine promises are

meant to be. We can claim those promises. We can celebrate those promises.  It is the promise of eternal life of Jesus.  This New Year, reflect a bit more on what promises you would make in your life.  And even more, seize the promise that God has made.  In this New Year, God will be with you.  Amen.