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Services every Sunday at 7:00 P.M.

"In the Beginning" 1/2/05

Welcome to our first worship service in the year 2005. It is hard to believe how quickly time flies. It seems that I was just standing before you wishing you the best in 2004. Where did the year go? As we reflect back on the past year for many of us this was a time of great challenge. Some of us had to deal with the loss of a parent, a health diagnosis that would require life changes, the ending of a relationship, job, or way of living. For others of us it was a time to begin something new, to come out, to get active in various causes, to make changes that will impact our future. Take a moment tonight or this week to reflect back on the past year. To say good-byes, to confess mistakes made and lessons learned, to celebrate changes and areas of growth.

And so we begin again. In my personal life I use this time of the year to reflect upon the ways I would like to do things differently in the new year. It is a time for some resolutions, it's a time to say this is what I want for my future. It is a time to commit this new year into God's hands and make God the center of our lives and our life together.

1) Resolutions - Begin this new year in prayer. Pray for any unfinished business, things that need to be resolved from last year so you can go into this new year with a clean slate. Pray about God's directions for this year. What are the dreams, hopes, plans that need to be started? Some times we have a clear direction in which we know God is leading. We know we are in the right place at the right time to do the work God has in store. At other times, however, the road is not so clear. We get sidetracked with issues, people, or problems that keep us from realizing God's best for our lives. At still other times, we find that the distractions were exactly where we were meant to be and in the end brought us back to the journey having learned valuables lessons for the future. None of us knows what the year 2005 will hold, but we can begin this year with the resolve to pray each day asking God to place us in the right place at the right time so that we might make a difference in our world.

2) Secondly To what do your give your time? The longer I live the more I am convinced that time is one of the most precious gifts that has been given to us by God. You might want to keep a time log for one week and see exactly how you are using the time entrusted to you. Are you doing the things that give you joy and fill up your life? Are you spending time with those you love and those who build you up? Are you wasting time on idle pursuits, agonizing over the past, or fretting about the future? The gift we have been given is this moment now. How we show up for it, where we are, who we are with will determine how we fully immerse ourselves in God's plan for us. I have begun my new year by reading a number of books and one of them is the writing of a Buddist priest. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the miracle of life that can only be experienced by living in what he calls "the present moment, the wonderful moment". To have our mind, body, emotions, feelings in this moment right now is to experience God in the moment. We gain nothing from dwelling in the past and we can't control what's going to happen in the future, so stay right here in the moment. Don't let yourself miss what God is doing, you might be surprised at the miracles that surround us everyday.

3) Thirdly, I invite you at the beginning of this year to think about your commitments. What/who takes priority in your life? As you realize how you are using your time you can see what is or what has become most important in your life. Have you made the commitment to always keep God at the center of your life and not let anything or anyone keep you from building that relationship. We talked about the importance of a number of spiritual matters in our Covenant Keepers series that help to keep God always at the center of our lives. I want again to remind us that being at worship each Sunday is vital to our relationship with God and gives us the strength and encouragement to face the realities of life. Our prayer life - beginning each day, ending each day and throughout the day praying for our world, others and ourselves is vital to our relationship with God. In the ways we use our time, talents, and financial resources that God has given to us we reflect the importance of God in our lives. As you go into 2005 please take the time to pray about your life commitments and what is important to you as a child of God.

Happy 2005. Pray about God's direction for your life this year and entrust this year into God's care. Know that wherever your journey takes you this year know that God is with you. Live each moment to the fullest. Be present show up for life in this moment it is can truly be God's gift to you. Use your time wisely. Pray about your commitments in life and what is important to keeping your life centered in God's presence. May you be truly blessed and be a blessing to our world in 2005. Amen

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