Onward to 2011

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. . . .”
(Ecclesiastes 3.1; popularized by Pete Seeger and the Byrds, but it was in the Bible first!)

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4.13)

And so 2010 draws to a close, and we boldly enter 2011.

2010 was a hard year for many of us. Never before in my ministerial career thus far have I had as difficult, demanding, and challenging a year as 2010 was. As I looked out into the faces of the congregation on the fourth Sunday of Advent and on Christmas Eve, I found myself pondering your lives. Some of you have faced utter tragedy this year. Some of you have felt your lives torn asunder by forces beyond your control. Quite a number of you approached Christmas this year with one fewer person in your family than you had a year ago. Some of you experienced a crisis in your professional career this year. For me, 2010 brought me three of the most challenging situations in the life of a church that I’ve ever faced since becoming a pastor, along with a record number of funerals in one year. A difficult, demanding, and challenging year, indeed.

And yet – lest we write off 2010 too quickly – let us not forget the joy that we experienced this year. We brought in four confirmands and two classes of new adult members this year (when was the last time all that happened in one year?). We experienced an incredibly rock-solid financial situation in our church finances in the midst of an incredibly difficult economy (when was the last time that happened?). And even in the midst of our most painful moments this year, we found reason to laugh and celebrate and rejoice. There is much that we have to be thankful for.

We also learned some things about ourselves this year. Many of us can say, looking at our own personal lives, that we grew spiritually this year. Hopefully, we can all say that. And thanks to our work with Natural Church Development, we learned that we are indeed a better-than-average church, scoring higher than average in five out of eight quality characteristics and quite high in one particular area. Seven years ago this congregation was in the midst of a major crisis, quite a number of people were leaving, and some people were calling it a “bad church.” Look at how far we have come since then! But we have more work yet to do; we have more ways that Christ is calling us to grow. Our particular challenge for the coming year is to build a greater degree of spiritual depth into the life of the congregation and into each one of our personal lives. God is calling us to stretch and grow, and with Christ’s help and empowerment from the Holy Spirit, that is what we will do.

And so we press onward into 2011, not knowing what this coming year will bring. More challenges? Yes, indeed, probably so. More suffering? Unfortunately, probably yes. More joy? Yes, absolutely, especially if we are paying attention and don’t let moments of joy slip by unnoticed. More growth? Yes, certainly, if we work at it and don’t simply coast along in complacency. More financial stability? Yes, if we continue to discipline ourselves in our spending and if we continue to be generous in our giving. And what else? What else will 2011 bring?

I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what this year will bring. Certainly, there are goals and objectives that I and other leaders among us have for this congregation in the coming year; there are projects we are working on and issues we are trying to tackle in order to continue to improve the overall life and witness of this community of faith. But I dare not make any promises as to what is in store for us this year, because I have learned that I should expect to be surprised. I am sure that there will be some hard days ahead of us; no year is without that; we can’t escape from suffering, until Christ comes in final victory at the end of all things. I am also sure – absolutely, steadfastly, confidently sure – that there will be joy in the coming year as well. Let us, each day, be attentive to the goodness of God’s blessings. Let us, each day, find some reason for which to rejoice and be glad.

And so we press on, trusting in God’s gracious mercy, confident in God’s promises, hearkening to Christ’s call, equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit. The journey continues. The times and the seasons march on. We step forward into the future, together, as one body in Christ, confidently proclaiming – as Paul did before us – that we can do all things through God who strengthens us.

Peace and blessings,

Bill