In a year that may go down as one for the ages, feelings of “joy” may not be at the top of the list for most people. It has been a year of struggle for many. If we recount all that has happened, the obscurity of finding joy becomes more accentuated. If you watch the news it seems as though very few stories of “joy” make it to the airwaves. We do need to be informed of both bad and good, but could it be a bit more balanced? What does this tell us about ourselves and our society?

We celebrate Hope, Peace, Joy and Love as a call to action to remind ourselves to keep Christ in the center of the season. We faithfully hope for the unseen, we experience joy in the unexpected and we cherish love when we least deserve it. Yet peace requires a bit more personal sacrifice and remains elusive for many of us. I’m referring to the kind of peace that allows us to sleep soundly when we lay our head down at night, for all is well with our soul.

Happy New Year! As crazy as this year has been, we are all waiting for this year to finally end, hoping for a safer year ahead. Reverend Mike shared with us this past Sunday that advent season begins a new year for the church in preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The first week of advent reminds us of the blessed hope as prophesied and fulfilled that unto this world a savior be born.

When is the last time you really thanked God? I’m not referring to a nonchalant nod or the obligatory sharing of thanks for something good that happened. I’m talking about the deep-felt gratitude that happens when we fully submit to the Holy Spirit and truly ponder God’s impact on our life as we pause to earnestly pray.

I am not really impressed with celebrities or athletes endorsing a product or service since I know they are being paid. I suppose it garners my attention but certainly will not influence my final purchase. The world, however, still pays attention to the paid spokesperson. What I value more is the customer review section often found with online research of a product/service.

Creation and the cycle of life is sustained by our sovereign God. This fall’s colorful foliage is nature’s way to welcome in another season. Our trees’ previously vibrant green leaves had served their purpose. Time to let go of the old to enrich the winter and rejuvenate the spring. Natures memento of one more year passing by.

This week we turned our clocks back. I never realized how many clocks we had in our home. We gained an hour of time, so to speak. For some of us it was time to get a bit of extra sleep. Others arose early and realized they had another hour to pack a few more things into their schedules. Everything we do is dictated by time on the clock.

The Bible tells us how God, in the beginning, created this earth we live on and the heavens in which we will one day call our home. God has graced us with this wonderful gift of a life sustaining temporal earth and His everlasting eternal heaven. We know as Christians that the end is not the end, it is the beginning. We stand apart from the world since we have this hope in the resurrection of the life to come.

To follow means to have allegiance, loyalty, and obedience to someone who is leading the way. It creates an identity with the leader or the cause. Expectations are set at a steep cost to the follower. The leader reciprocates by supporting the follower. It fosters a mutual relationship of trust that develops over time. Rabbi and disciple together as one.

Do I love Jesus Christ with all my heart? Am I willing to do whatever it takes to live by faith? Do I trust that God will take care of me? Am I willing to forgive? As Christians these are questions we should be asking ourselves from time to time as a litmus test of our spiritual journey. After all, we are imperfect people striving to be Christ-like in our faith walk. It is how we act or react that makes us stand apart.