Looking Ahead to 2023 // M-Note 12.30.22

Recently I was reading about the philosophical concept of being and becoming. To put it simply: all of us can value who we are presently, even as we desire to become someone new. I love thinking about this as we close one year and get ready to start a new year. It is a good time to reflect and be grateful for who we are and how we have grown. The past year has been up and down, full of blessings and challenges. Stopping to consider how far we’ve come, the strides we have made, the mistakes we have learned from, and the high points of the past year leaves us grateful to be where we are. We can be grateful as we close out another year. At the same time, we are all works in progress. God is not finished with us yet, and so it is a good thing to consider how we want to grow and change in the year ahead.
 
As we close out one year and get ready to begin a new one, I invite you to take some time and reflect on where God has brought you. First, name those experiences, lessons, or points of character growth that you are grateful for. Secondly, name your hopes for the year ahead. Write these hopes down, lift these hopes up to God, and work on a simple plan to begin changing your habits to move towards those hopes. As we close out 2022 and look ahead to 2023, join me in reflecting on being and becoming - gratitude for where you are, hope for where you are going.  
 
Before we go, I want to thank all of you that joined The Gathering on Christmas Eve. It was incredible to see so many of you in worship. It was a powerful night of remembering all that God wants to give us and our need to learn how to receive it. I hope that it sparked something inside of you and that you will join us for worship. We will have all regular worship services this Sunday (time and details here).
 
As we begin a new year, a lot of us are looking for a new direction in our life. Many of us want to know where God is leading us or what God’s purpose for our life might be. We even look for signs about which way to go or what decision to make. But hearing God’s voice (and being able to tell a difference between God’s voice and our own) is hard. Next Sunday, January 8th, I will begin a new series Signs and Wonders: Seeing God in Everyday Life. I will be talking and teaching about how we can figure out where God may be leading us as we enter 2023. I hope you will plan to start the new year in worship. There are also a lot of people in our lives looking for a new direction. Invite them to join you in worship at The Gathering. I will also be announcing the total of our Christmas Eve offering that day!
 
Thank you all for your commitment and support this past year. I cannot wait to see what God does in your life and in our church in the year ahead.
 
Peace,
 Matt
 
P.S. I hope you will consider making a financial gift to The Gathering before the year ends. You can make a gift today online. If you have a question about year-end giving, email us. Thank you so much to all of you that support our ministry through giving. We couldn’t do what we do without it, and I am grateful for you.