Grace to you and peace from God, Abba Father, Mother and Creator, and the Lord Jesus, our Savior, who was born in Bethlehem, who we celebrate and in whom God makes Godself visible to us.
Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, my dear siblings in Christ. It is my prayer, my hope, that you are well, that you have a Christmas, Christmas Eve celebration, and New Year with your loved ones.
We are here in the sanctuary, and we are here reflecting on looking back and reflecting on last year, the things that we did, the things that we couldn't do, the things that we wish that were different, and perhaps rejoicing also in the things that we know were a blessing for us and, in many ways, that we were a blessing for others.
And we begin a new chapter: year 2025. There are things around us that are telling us that we need to be prepared for this year because it is going to be bad.
But the gospel for this coming Sunday reminds us that there are different ways that God prepares for us so that we can bring good news to all.
And as we begin this year, my siblings in Christ, I pray that all of you will find the wisdom, the strength, and the peace that you need to be able to see how God is present in your life, in your ministries, and how you can be that presence for the people that you encounter in your journeys.
The story tells us that the three kings, or the wise men or the Magi, that are called in different ways in the gospel, went back in a different way. And I believe that what this means is that you and I, like them, at the encounter of the God made flesh in Jesus Christ, are transformed and helped to face challenges in this life, uniting our dreams and our hopes in Him who can give us life, who can give us hope and can show us the way.
My prayer is that you will have a year filled with blessings and the peace that surpasses all understanding, and that more than anything else, the love of God that has been placed in your heart will cast out any fear and give you the freedom to be who God called you to be.
Thank you for all the support. Thank you for your presence. And thanks be to God for you, for the leaders of this congregation, for our staff in this congregation. And thanks be to God for the things that we do not know for this year, that we know that God will bring to us, because God is always surprising us with God's grace.
Peace to you, my siblings. I'll see you around in this 2025.
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