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Greetings and salutations my friends...and welcome to the New Year!     

In today's Word of the Week I want to take a look back at the year that was, and then look ahead at the year that is to come. Looking back, you might recall a world of sin, despair, and struggle. A world where there is more division, strife, hatred, murder, disagreement, and misunderstanding, than ever before in the history of humankind. We might also see the struggle in our lives to do what is right, to love God and our neighbors. But then, we also see the grace of God in our lives and in the world, bringing comfort in the middle of the storms of life, and strength to press on when the going gets rough. We see God at work in our lives and in our society...to make things look more like they should. The coming of the Christ, is God at work; undoing the Curse and bringing the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the earth.  Looking back, we see God at work in a world that is desperate for redemption, desperate for forgiveness, desperate for cessation of hostilities, desperate for reconciliation, and desperate for joy and peace.

Looking ahead, what do you see? The Book of James clearly warns us that we should be careful in estimating our ability to predict the future. Truth be told, we do not know what lies ahead for us in 2024, or even in the coming week for that matter. But does it matter? If what we believe about God is true, does it matter that the future remains a hazy enigma of possibilities, as well as the fear of the unknown? It does not matter. Because we know how it ends: Christ returns, raises the dead, and transforms the living who are HIS; and fulfills the promise of Eternal Life. And we know that He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that we might walk in faith; not according to sight, human understanding or human desires; all the days of our lives as we wait for his return. So as you look ahead, do you see YOUR year, or do you see a year according to God...GOD'S year? 
Depending on what year you see, the possiblity to rejoice for another year of faith and opportunity, and praise of God for his promised presence and forgiveness in the year to come could be yours!

Happy New Year! Dr. D.