Happy New Year!
Dear Friends,
Who knows what this next year will bring to each of us individually, to our families, our community, our nation, our world, our church.
Last January we could not have imagined what would transpire in 2011. Did you have any idea that over these last 12 months we would endure the senseless act of an assailant opening fire outside a grocery store in Arizona, killing six people and wounding 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords? Did you have any idea that in countries around the world there would be protests and demonstrations leading to transitions in governance, and in our own country people camping out and “occupying” some of our major cities?
It was 2011 when Osama bin Laden was finally found and assassinated. Did we think that would ever happen? How could we
have envisioned the devastation from the earthquake and Tsunami that occurred in Japan and the flooding and mudslides in Rio de Janeiro and an earthquake
in eastern Turkey? And what about the turmoil that has been taking place right in Germantown over the development of a new strip mall just several
blocks from our church?
Not all that happened in 2011 was bad, for think of the new friend you met and made this year. There were some beautiful babies born and baptized in our church over these months and weddings taking place in our sanctuary. We probably did not imagine these things happening when we ushered in the new year last January. Just as today we cannot imagine what is in store for 2012.
Do we really want to know? Would it be helpful to know what is going to happen tomorrow or next month? I think it is best that we do not know what the future holds for us, but what we do need to know is that whatever comes our way God is with us always. In Romans, we read, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It does not matter what may come our way, God is always with us, loving us. If we will remember this fact and be as convinced about its being true as was Paul when he wrote the letter to the Romans we truly will have a very Happy New Year!
See you in church!
~Rev. Nancy