CREDIT: Marco Verch Professional Photographer
Dear Saints of First Lutheran,
This week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, is a time of reflection on the old year while awaiting the new. Each day signifies the passage of time, but New Year’s Eve and Day are special in many minds because of the passing of years. I like to remember in my mind the good times and challenging ones and how God was there as He promised through it all. Psalm 111 captures it well “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart …” (Psalm 111:1)
The psalmist doesn’t say “Praise the Lord when things are going well.” He simply says, “Praise the Lord!” – no matter what! Even if He seems far away, He is always close, waiting patiently for us to call on Him in all things – good and difficult, beneficial and bad. The same psalm closes saying “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10) We “fear”, not in a terrified, scared, cowering kind of way, but in a manner of healthy respect for one in whom we have the utmost trust that He can and will do anything for us when we call upon Him.
I’m sure as we all reflect on the year past, we remember blessings – new jobs, healings, new friends and family, successes and achievements. We also remember trials – illness, difficult family situations, loss of all kinds (job, friends, family), and failures. I praise God for many things – the joy of our daughter’s wedding, working with many of you through lows and highs of the “steeplechase” and other challenges we faced together, and sharing with you in baptisms, funerals, illnesses, and achievements and struggles. I praise God for being with us through it all.
I look forward to a new year, 2023, filled with God’s grace and mercy given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. May the true peace of God fill your hearts and lives now and always.
Happy New Year!
Pastor Jim