Peace Presbyterian Church

“New Year - New Growth - New Opportunties”

I am excited about what God is doing in the life of our church. As I have been enjoying different moments in our church recently, I have felt the presence and the pleasure of the Holy Spirit in our midst. There is truly the sweetness of the Holy Spirit in our midst, for God is with us and for us. May we continue to welcome and fan the flames of His Spirit in our midst.

“Don’t miss out on this new opportunity to go deeper into your relationship with Jesus.”

As we move into the New Year, the Lord is inviting each of us to grow in our faith and in our relationships with Him and with others. One way each of you can do this is by enjoying and participating in our new Sunday morning times. We will be offering Bible studies and Sunday school for every member of our church family: for children, youth and adults at 9am Don’t miss out on this new opportunity to go deeper into your relationship with Jesus. We invite you to come for Sunday school and then to stay and enjoy our corporate worship at 10:15 am.

As we move into the New Year, God is inviting us to look forward to what He will do in our lives. God wants us to follow the advice of Paul, from Philippians 3:13-4, where he says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Let us move forward in our faith by focusing on who God is calling us to be in this moment and in the future. Let us not get trapped in the past or keep on wrestling with the past; rather, let us set our sights on His plan and will for us both for now and for the future.

“Let us sing a new song to the Lord in this New Year and let us be open to the new and marvelous things He will do in our lives and in our midst.”

No matter what kind of year you had in 2006, my prayer is that you will be open to the new ways God intends to work in your life in 2007. May we sing along with David from Psalm 98:1-3,

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.
The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

The New Year reminds us as well that God wants us to enjoy new lives in Christ. In Ephesians 4:23-4, Paul tells us, “to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” God wants to get us out of the sinful ruts of our lives: the fearfulness; the hopelessness; the falseness of our speech; the anger that permeates our souls; the harshness and the lack of graciousness that permeates our relationships with others. In Christ, we can live new lives if we are willing to be filled and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Are we willing to believe that God is big enough to overcome our sin and our selfishness and to make us more like Jesus? Are we willing to let the Holy Spirit truly be in charge and in control of our lives? Are we willing to trust God with all of who we are?

In this New Year, let us enjoy the sweetness of God’s love and presence, let us enjoy His will and plan for our lives, let us enjoy the new life He offers us in Christ. May you enjoy Him and may you revel in His love for you! God bless you! Thanks for the joy of being your Pastor.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Brian