Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Yes, it is still Christmas! My hope and prayer is that all of us continue to celebrate the virgin birth of our Lord and Savior on that first Christmas for the entire Christmas season. And I pray as we bring in a new year, 2016 (can you believe it is here already!), that the joy of the Lord swells in us to the point of overflowing to everyone we meet! I say this not only because we are called to live our lives as Christ-like as possible by the power of the Almighty, but because our community, state, country and beyond are in need of all Christians, from the very youngest believers through our elders, to stand boldly in the Christian faith and share unabashedly our joy of the Lord. We are called to do this by committing ourselves to God as first priority in our lives by both example and word each and every day. We may not know the positive influence we may have in another person’s life. And the opposite is true as well. Remember that it would be better to have a millstone around our neck and thrown into the sea than to cause someone to stumble in their faith.Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves….So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (from Luke 17,NIV) I have often prayed for forgiveness of poor choices and actions I have taken plus any negative impact they may have caused others. I pray regularly for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the listening obedient ear to follow that guidance. So as we begin 2016, let us remember who
we are and who we are. And please keep in mind our collective responsibility to raise our children in the Christian faith remembering the vows we as a congregation take as infants and others are baptized and public confessions of faith are made as new members joining the Church.
We vow to proclaim the Good News and live according to the example of Christ with the help of God. We vow to pray for and surround these persons with love and forgiveness to nurture them. We also renew our covenant to participate faithfully
“in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. ”May these vows ring true now and throughout our future
days living this gift of life.
Grace, peace and blessings,
Pastor Jack