

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christmas 2024 is behind us. Gone are the gifts, the gala's, the glories of this special season. And so we turn our attention to 2025. But it's February already, and our New Year's celebrations are receding in our rear-view mirrors along with most of our New Year's resolutions.
Speaking of resolutions, I have a thought...it seems that most resolutions are focused on ourselves and some form of self-improvement: Eating healthier, exercising more, spending more time with family and friends, focusing on things that will make me a better person. As well intentioned as such resolutions are, they are oftentimes quickly broken or forgotten.
Fortunately, God has not, and will not, forget His resolution. We can be certain of His love for us in Christ Jesus regardless of what we resolve to do or not do. Our focus need not be on self-improvement (although that is certainly something to strive for), for we are already perfect in Him! Instead, we focus on allowing His love for us to spill over to others. As we carry our our Christian vocations--our calling in life--we do so in "faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another." The Holy Spirit leads us to love those with whom we work, those with whom we worship, those with whom we go to school, those with whom we have only occasional contact, and yes, even those who have different viewpoints and opinions.
Now that's a bit of a challenge, isn't it? Fortunately, it's not your challenge--it's Christ's! We might not desire to do all these things, but Christ already has. We're now free to set aside our own sinful desires and serve Him by loving our neighbor.
Time continues to tick away, but some things never change. Christ resolved to give up His life on the cross to atone for all our sins. Knowing and believing that, we can faithfully go forward, trusting in Christ who has and will go before us, granting us His Holy Spirit so that we can daily grow in faith toward Him and in our love for others.
God's richest blessings! See you in church.
Pastor M <t><