Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I truly pray that it is and that it will be indeed a happy New Year for you and those you love. However, remember that whether your days are happy or not, never forget that God is with you always and that nothing in your life's circumstances are outside of His knowledge and care. He is with you from the beginning of the year until the end.

In the next several days, all of the Christmas decorations and celebrations will all but be memories of Christmas 2010. As you put away the family decorations and put your homes back to normal, let me suggest you take some time and remember once again the powerful message of the season that we've just come through. Those of you with a manger scene, take a moment as you store it away and remember that the baby of the manger did not remain a baby, rather, He grew to become a man who had His eyes fixed on a cross, a cross that He would die on to pay the price for your sins and mine.

This week as we gather to worship, we will once again celebrate Jesus, this time however, we will celebrate not only that He came, but what He came to do. The manger was a prelude to the cross. His birth was the beginning of the journey to His death on the cross. Our time together today will give us an opportunity to focus on His Word and the lives that He desires for us to live while here on this earth.

Today, His Word will remind us of what is really important. Our songs will give us an opportunity to lift up our praise. Our prayers will be a response to the goodness that God has showered on us through the gift of His Son. Our lives today and throughout this next year will be an opportunity for us to express our deepest thanks for what He has done.

Prepare your hearts right now to focus on the King of kings and the Lord of lords and how you will say thanks today. And my friend, if you are reading this and have not yet given your heart to Jesus, may today be your day. Listen with your heart and allow God's Spirit to show you what He has done to bring you into a relationship with Him that you were created for. May this be your best year yet as you live each day in the grip of His love and grace and secured in His salvation.

Pastor MJ