January 2022
Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through! They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
– Lamentations 2:22-23
New Year's Eve has always been my favorite holiday. It is a beautiful time to reflect on all that has been (and has not been) in the previous year, and to set some intentions for the year to come. It's a time to grieve whatever we may have lost - be it a person, a dream, or a hope - and to forgive ourselves or others for any wrongs that may have been done.
As 2021 comes to a close, I invite you to prayerfully reflect on these questions:
What am I grieving from this past year?
What gave me hope in 2021?
What do I need to forgive myself (or others) for?
What can I say "no" to in 2022? What do I want to say "yes" to?
What were your favorite moments of 2021?
What do you want to learn or experience in 2022?
To answer some of those questions myself, I'll share with you that I am certainly grieving the fact that 2021 was not the year we all hoped it would be as it relates to the pandemic. I'm grieving that so many of us have lost loved ones, be it to COVID or to other illnesses. What gives me hope is all of you and the amazing work and ministry that you all do. You have given so much to our local community this year, and it's truly a gift to see God at work through you. I'm forgiving myself (and others) for things any unkind things that were said out of exhaustion. I am saying "no" to working on my days off, so that I can say "yes" to rest and time with family or friends.
One of my favorite moments in 2021 was getting to meet my new nephew, Emilio, just before he turned one back in April (and now he has a beautiful baby sister, Sofia). I also loved seeing you all back and worshiping in the sanctuary for the first time in over a year, baptizing some new babies, our amazing joint worship service on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and getting to sing Silent Night on Christmas Eve.
We're starting a new Adult Faith Formation program this year, starting Wednesday, January 5th at 6:30pm on Zoom, and I am excited to read the Bible and learn from you all this year.
Hopefully these questions and my own reflections inspire you to reflect as well. I am excited to embark on another year of ministry with you all and give thanks for all the ways God's love shines through each and every one of you.
With love,
Pastor Kelsey
