The Question of 2018

What do you imagine the upcoming year is going to bring into your life? Will it be a year of dramatic change or more of the same old? Are you looking forward to 2018 with excitement or dread? Have you made resolutions which you believe are going to make a significant difference? Or, are you humorously cynical about all the hoopla made by the changing of the calendar? Lots of questions, questions that might not even be all that important.

Maybe the only question which really matters as we prepare to dash through December 31 into January 1 is: “Who is going to call the shots in my life during 2018?” If the answer is an incredulous, “Me! Who else?”, then about all one can be certain of is a 12 month roller coaster ride. But there is a different way to approach 2018. It’s not the most popular way but it is different.

In a short letter written to a group of Christians living in a city located in Western Turkey, a man named Paul stopped right in mid-sentence to say a prayer for the people to whom he addressed the letter. It’s a prayer that those people would have what is most important in life, that it would literally take them over. In a few words he prayed, “May Jesus Christ live in you and through you, may he save you and lead you daily to heaven.” What this man prayed 2000 years ago for a small group of people serves as a tremendous inspiration for those facing the new year with uncertainty. Rather than a roller coaster ride, a 2018 with Jesus will be a year of blessing and being a blessing regardless of the external circumstances.

This Sunday morning we’re going to try to go deep into this new year’s prayer. If you’re not sure about the coming year, please join us.

Sunday, December 31 morning worship: 10:00 am
Sunday, December 31 evening devotion & picnic: 6:00 pm