Hello loved ones.  I hope you enjoyed your Christmas celebrations this week.  As was the case for many this year, Linda and I didn’t get to see everyone we would have liked to, though not for reasons related to the virus.  Still we enjoyed the company of friends and family and are grateful for God’s blessings.

As 2020 draws to a close, few will be sorry to see it go.  Corona virus, riots, and political upheaval have made it a year we will not soon forget.  I haven’t even touched on the challenges we’ve faced as a church this year.  Will 2021 be better?  We certainly hope so!  We know that our troubles are not over.

Across the country over the next few days, pastors and other leaders will be looking for words to inspire hope for the year to come.  Believers will turn to God and to His word for that inspiration.  I’ve never been much for convention, but it seems appropriate for me to do the same.  The need is undeniable.

Therefore, I turned my attention this week to one of Linda’s favorite passagesI know that she is not alone in drawing strength from it.  I’ve included a few more verses for just a little bit of context.  We’ll be reading from Isaiah 43:15-19.

This is part of Isaiah’s prophetic message to the nation of Israel.  Recurring themes are Israel’s determination to sin and Yahweh’s determination to redeem.  He alludes to their past and then presents to them a future in which they will once again be judged and once again be redeemed.  But He says in other words, “don’t expect me to do it the same way.”

As we look through the scripture, we can see that this is the way God works.  We cannot put Him into a box or explain Him with a formula.  The Bible does not present us with a set of rituals, actions, or incantations to which God must respond in predictable ways, though some have tried to treat it that way.  God is infinite and infinitely creative.  His nature never changes, but His methods will always surprise.  We can look to the past to teach us about God’s nature, but when we look to the future, we should be ready for Him to do something new!

Join us for our final service of 2020 and expect a new thing in your life!

Love y’all,

Larry