By the time you read this, it is possible that your homes are beginning to look a lot LESS like Christmas. The trees and decorations begin to come down, the supply of cookies may or may not still be abundant, the gifts begin to be used, returned if the wrong size or a duplicate, or in some tragic circumstances, broken already. In many ways, it can feel as if life is returning to normal. And in the case of January, cold normal.
But in the Church, we are called to remember that the time we mark is anything but normal. At Christmas, we remember and celebrate the gift of God’s Son born into the world. And over the next several months, we continue to rehearse the story that started with Christmas. We have the opportunity to watch Jesus grow, be baptized in the Jordan River, and embark upon His extraordinary earthly ministry of teaching, healing, driving out demons, confronting the religious leaders, and even raising the dead! All of which will find its climax in the death and resurrection of the Savior for the salvation of the world.
To help us dig deeper into Jesus’ mission and what it means for us even today, Hope will be embarking on a church-wide twelve-week Bible study journey through the Gospel of Matthew. I will be leading a study on Sunday mornings at 9:15 beginning January 8, and there will be opportunities to gather in the homes of some of our gracious members on various nights of the week. This is the year for you to grow! Sign up, show up, be strengthened through the Word, and become more fully equipped for life as a follower of Jesus. God bless you and your family in this new year!
Christ’s peace and joy,
Pastor Baye