Goodbye 2023, Welcome 2024

Last year when we discovered New Year’s Day was going to be a Sunday, it created a challenge. New Year’s Eve is perhaps the biggest holiday in Latino culture, with staying out all night being the norm, regardless of age. I wondered what to do about worship that Sunday. Should we move it to Saturday, make it later in the day? Cancelling wasn’t any option for me. I decided that we were going to stay with the 10:45 time, but we weren’t going to even try to have a normal Sunday service. Instead of rows of chairs, everyone was seated at a table. The welcome table had pastries and hot chocolate. We started worship with paper to write prayer requests. At the conclusion of worship, we headed outside where we prayed as we sent our petitions to God in the flames of a fire. Everyone appreciated the worship so much that we returned to a similar format again this year. Those of you who were at 10:45 service this year on December 31 were probably wondering what was happening in the parking lot.

I believe that our New Year’s prayers transcend culture and you can pray them, even if it’s not January 1 on the calendar when you read this article.

Prayers for Letting Go of Pain
In the past year, we experienced moments of both physical and emotional pain. We experienced loss and worry. Living Lord, Your love has held us as you walked alongside us during our moments of suffering. Even in our darkest moments, you never left our side. Now may your hope and healing lead us to a place of restoration. Help us to be strong enough to forgive those who have hurt us. Help us to see that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. Help us to be free from resentment and anger. As our prayers of pain turn to ash, may we also let go of our pain from this past year and beyond.

Prayers of Thanksgiving
In the past year, we have had moments of blessings big and small. Help us to remember to approach life with gratitude. We thank you for the small moments that brought us quiet moments of beauty: a painted sky at sunrise, shared laughter, and a million moments that we have already forgotten. We thank you for the big moments: the arrival of babies, marriages, success at work, and other things we lift up to you. We send our prayers of thanksgiving to you.

Prayers of Hopes and Dreams
Dear God, With the new year, we have the opportunity for a fresh start to achieve our goals and dreams. We ask that you give us the wisdom to make the right choices to achieve these dreams and the strength to persevere. While we hope for a path without obstacles, allow us to learn from the difficulties we face. Teach us to understand that what we hope for may not be what is best for us in the long run, and to have faith in your plan. Help us to maintain our goodness in our efforts to achieve dreams. We know that you want what is best for us and we are grateful for the blessings that will come to us in the next year. In our prayers and in the flames, we send to you our prayers for our hopes for 2024. 

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2)

Happy New Year!

Pastor Edwin

Another Tragedy

Once again the power of death has made itself known in the world as we grieve the loss of life of children and educators at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The city and state are far enough away that we can briefly read those words and quietly dismiss the horror of the tragedy. However, we found out last November that we are not immune from the power of death or instance of tragedy as members of our own community ran for cover, jumped out of the way, assisted with the wounded and the dying, and held vigil for the grief of families in Waukesha.

I have said my prayers this day for the families of children who will never walk through front doors again. Prayers for summer activities ended before they began. Prayers for families who now plan funerals instead of end of year celebrations. And now we sit with our grief and ask ourselves once again: are these children finally worthy of our attention and care to beg for more mental health care resources to be offered, require background checks or waiting periods to purchase firearms, or offer a greater respect for those who put their lives on the line each day to protect our most precious gifts of God, namely our teachers and first responders.

I am not interested in the debate of these things. There is always a time for more words – Lord knows, I use too many words much of the time. My concern is whether the amount of words we use will only delay the inevitable next e-alert as we grieve with another city in another state about another school and the loss of life.

Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

Pastor Chris