Decisions make a difference

 

I like lots of sports and one of the inevitabilities of watching sport with a favourite team is that occasionally you will get cross with a referee! I support Liverpool football club and last week they played Manchester City - Manchester City were leading 1-0 when Liverpool scored what was obviously a perfectly good goal, but it was disallowed! 

Now that made a big difference because instead of going on to win the game 3-1 as they would have done, they ended up losing 3-0! Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Decisions make a difference! 

Sometimes, a word we speak, a path we take, a moment missed or embraced, can seem really small, but we probably recognise that even the smallest decisions can shape the biggest outcomes. 

Today our readings encourage us to pause, to reflect, to ask about something far bigger than football…  

About what story our life is telling and who’s writing the next chapter?

About what kind of future we are shaping with the choices we make today?

And whether we are drifting with the wind or being led by the Spirit?

There’s a courthouse in Ohio where raindrops falling on the north side of the roof end up in Lake Ontario and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while those falling on the south side journey to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Just a blow of wind at the roof’s peak can send water thousands of miles apart.

A tiny shift, a small decision - a world of difference. It’s a vivid reminder that the choices we make daily, quietly, sometimes unknowingly, can shape our lives, our relationships, and even our whole future.

In a cemetery there’s a gravestone that reads:

“Pause my friend, as you walk by.  As you are now, so once was I.  

As I am now, so you will be.  Prepare my friend, to follow me.”

 

To which someone added: 

“To follow you is not my intent - Until I know which way you went!”

Life is full of choices. And today’s readings challenge us to consider the most important one: our relationship with God.

Often in church we recite the creed which says, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” But what do we make of those words?

For some, they’ve been used to preach fire-and-brimstone sermons: “Repent or go to hell!” And yes, today’s readings speak of judgement, of end times, of decisions that matter. But let’s not rush to be too gloomy.

We live in a world that thrives on bad news. It draws people, perhaps us, to look at the news on our phones or computers, it sells papers. It fills headlines. But the gospel, the good news, should be our headline. It is not about fear. It’s about love, mercy, grace… Transformation.

God is not a harsh executioner. He is a compassionate Father. And the message we’re called to share is not one of doom, but of hope.

Our reading from Malachi (4:1–2a) was written around 400 years before Jesus’ life on earth. The name means “My Messenger,” and the message is clear: prepare! 

The Temple had been rebuilt. Religion was back. But something was missing. Worship had become stale, formal, disconnected from the heart of God. People were cynical. Leaders were disillusioned. And Malachi’s voice rang out: return to what matters.

He warned of a coming day when those who reject God would face judgement. But for those who love Him? “The sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

That sun, 400 years later, would be the Son of God - Jesus. The one who came not to condemn the world, but to save it. To bring healing, peace, and transformation into a troubled world. How important is that message today - for the church, for us… for the world.

In the 2nd letter to the Thessalonians (3:6–13), Paul urges the Christian community: “Do not be weary in doing what is right.”

Again, it’s an important instruction for us too. We’re surrounded by all kinds of choices—political, personal and spiritual. And sometimes, the right path feels really hard. But Paul knew this well. Once a fierce opponent of Jesus, he became one of His greatest evangelists. His life was a living testimony to the words from Psalm 98: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvellous things.”

We don’t walk this journey of life alone. God is with us. And even when we ignore Him, He sees. He knows. He cares. 

Our choices matter—not just to us, but to God who walks beside us.

Then comes the Gospel reading (Luke 21:5–19). It’s perfect in a way for those pulpit-thumping sermons about the end of the world. Wars. Earthquakes. Persecution. Fear.

And yes, for centuries, people have predicted the return of Jesus. But  the truth is: we don’t know when it will happen. And we don’t need to.

Because if we’re living well now - walking with God, loving our neighbour, sharing the gospel, we have nothing to fear. The end of the reading reminds us: God protects His people. Eternally.

Too often, we focus on the bad news. But the gospel is good news. Not just for the few who sit in churches, but for everyone.

God is concerned for our future, yes. But He’s also deeply concerned about our present. He calls us to live for Him. To do what is right. To build relationships. To share His love. To be bearers of joy.

We can choose a doom-filled message. We can judge others. We can hide in our churches and lament the world outside. But is that really what God wants?

Jesus said in the gospel of John (10:10): “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

That’s the invitation. That’s the promise.

Some will preach heaven and hell. Some will live in fear of getting it wrong.  But God calls us to something deeper and richer: to live in the present, to sing a new song, to know His transforming grace, and to share His love with confidence. 

So let’s be people who choose life, who walk in light, and who carry the warmth of Christ into every possible corner of the world that we can, and not with clenched fists offering rules, condemnation and judgement, but with open hands and open hearts. AMEN