Hello St. John’s Family,
Merry Christmas! The joyous season celebrating Christ’s birth is in full swing! I hope you have had opportunities to worship our Lord, to pause and reflect on the amazing gift the world has received, and to share in the celebration of Christ’s birth with cherished family and friends. It was so good be together both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in worship, with opportunities to commune at our Lord’s table and to again witness the silent beauty of the Light of the world overtaking darkness. The candlelight Celebration of Light is one of my favorite moments of the year, as we are granted a powerful visual image of receiving God’s Good News that can save and transform all people. We cannot help but to rejoice and celebrate – our Lord has come!
For many of us, the season of Christmas is an opportunity for rest and reconnecting with family and friends. That is certainly the case for the Leight household, as we’re thankful for opportunities to rest and to share time together with family members we don’t see very often. If you often find yourself tired out by the frantic pace of our “normal” life, I pray this season will be a time of renewal for you.
I also recognize how recent days and weeks have been challenging for many in our St. John’s Family. Yes, we rejoice and are uplifted as Christ has come and met us in the coldness of this world. The difficulties of this world, though, do not automatically come to a halt. Even at Christmas, we experience difficulty and setbacks. As I reflected on this in my prayers this morning, the following verses came to mind:
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139:7-12, NIV
Friends, regardless of the circumstances at hand, know that you are never alone. God’s presence is with us always: at all times, in all situations. There is no place or time when we are not joined by God’s Spirit; there is no challenge where God’s right hand will not hold us fast. For the joyous and glad times, we give thanks; and for the challenging moments, we experience peace in the presence of our God who is right there with us. Always.
I pray those verses will bring you joy and peace today. And I hope you’ll join us in worship this Sunday, January 1st (REMINDER – We have one worship service at 10am!). Pastor Ruth will be preaching an uplifting message to start our new year, encouraging us to make each day count! Check out Revelation 21:1-6, and join us in worship at 10am-
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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