January 1st, 2016

From Steve’s Desk:

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
What a wonderful Christmas experience we enjoyed this year as we journeyed to Christmas with the theme of “Where is He?” I pray that as we searched we found the true gifts of Christmas that God gave through the precious child, our Savior Jesus. Jesus brought us redemption because of God’s grace and mercy as expressions of His love for us. In that redemption we can find true peace, true hope, true joy and the true love of God.

This was a wonderful journey for the entire congregation from the smallest child to the most senior among us.

Thank you to all of the children for their presentation in the “Bundle Up” Children’s Christmas program. Thank you to all of the actors who portrayed the biblical characters of the Nativity and helped focus our time of Advent in each worship service and to the actors who presented their dramas that gave us a glimpse of what is missing in our lives without the true gift of Christmas, Jesus. Thank you to all of the committee members who worked so hard to pull this all together at every detail. A special thank you to all who made the refreshments for our drama. They were delicious.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! I am truly humbled by it all.

Additional thoughts…
As we move to another year, let us look forward and not back. Let us anticipate all that God has in store for us. The future is unknown to us, but not God. Let us find peace and faith in God because He is always with us! Let us not lose hope while we wait, because He will never forsake us! Let us find comfort in knowing that He will never leave us! And, let us hold on to the fact that HE is coming back for us! You may remember the song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” It was written in 1950 by Ira Stanphill, an itinerate preacher just after he had experienced a great tragedy at the death of his wife. This song has so much meaning in it. Its message isn’t found in this life around us, but in faith. The faithfulness of God.

What makes this song especially meaningful is that it so accurately reflects the present nature of life’s spatial plane. As someone only quoted as unknown once wrote

“I may never see tomorrow; there’s no written guarantee. And things that happened yesterday belong to history. I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past. I have just the present moment, I must treat it as my last. I must use this moment wisely for it soon will pass away, And be lost to me forever as part of yesterday. I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet, Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete. The unkind things I do today may never be undone, And friendships that I fail to win may nevermore be won. I may not have another chance on bended knee to pray, And thank God with humble heart for giving me this day.”

As Christians, we should not be burdened with our past, nor weighted down by the events of our present. We should and can hold onto the one who cares, who knows, and who can change our past and our present. The one who has offered us an eternity.

As I close, I so encourage you to look to the one who holds tomorrow. We will be ok! 2016 – Maybe it will be this year that Jesus comes! Be ready!

“ I don’t know about tomorrow; It may bring me poverty. But the one who feeds the sparrow, Is the one who stands by me. And the path that is my portion May be through the flame or flood; But His presence goes before me And I’m covered with His blood. Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow And I know who holds my hand.”
Read Matthew 6: 25-34