What makes us true and effective witnesses of him is the constancy of our worship, the sincerity of our mutual goodwill, and the readiness at all times humbly and fearlessly to stand up and be counted as his disciples, whenever Christian standards and conduct are opposed by the standards and conduct of the world in which we find ourselves today.  People have a genuine respect for those who are not ashamed to stand up for their religious convictions – far more than they can ever have for the timid and shrinking who deny their Master, either by failing to defend Christian principles, or worse still, by appearing to side with those who attack those principles.

And we have it on Christ’s own word that whoever is ashamed of him and his words in what he called “..this adulterous and sinful generation…”, of him or her will Christ himself also be ashamed (NRSV, Mark 8:38).  And that is a truth he made absolutely clear on another occasion when he said, “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven” (NRSV, Matthew 10: 32,33).

As we begin another New Year, let us gather the threads together in Jesus’ own words:

“If you love me, keep my commandments”:

• “Do this in remembrance of me”

• "Love one another as I have loved you”

• "Be my witnesses”