Cancel the Noise // M-Note 1.11.25

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Our attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are shaped by the people we spend time with and the voices that we choose to listen to. Many of us start a new year with hopes, intentions, and goals for change in our lives. But if we want to change our lives, we must pay attention to voices that we are listening to, and perhaps even seek out some new ones. Most importantly, many of us may feel like we’ve lost the voice of God in our life. January is a great time to reconsider all of these things.
 
That is why this weekend, I am beginning a new series called Cancel the Noise: Take Control of the Voices You Listen To. Scripture has some practical advice about the kinds of people we should let into our lives and the voices that we should be listening to. It also has some insightful warnings about what kind of voices aren’t helping us. Over the next several weeks, I will be talking about three kinds of people that we may need to turn down or tune out altogether, along with the kinds of people that God encourages us to seek out. I’ll end with how we can cultivate more clearly the voice of God in our life as well.
 
This weekend, I will also be thrilled to celebrate the total of our Christmas Eve offering, 100% of which will go to fund clean water in Mozambique. With the snow day last weekend, this is the first in-person worship service of the year, and I can’t wait. I know a lot of us want to make weekly worship a more consistent habit this year. I hope YOU are one of those people, and that habit can start this weekend! Along with that, there are a lot of people in your life that might want to use the new year to reconnect with God and faith. Please offer them an invitation to join you this weekend. The message will be one that is extremely relevant for new people.
 
I begin 2025 incredibly grateful to be your pastor. Thank you to all of you that have mailed or sent me notes, email, and messages of support this holiday season. I especially love the cards that I have received and, as you know from my Christmas Eve message, I keep every one of them. I am honored to be your pastor and can’t wait to see what the new year will bring for The Gathering.
 
Peace,
Matt

P.S. One of the best ways to hear the voice of God in the midst of a busy world is through prayer. I hope you’ll join me to try a new way to pray at our Hope & Healing Service on Tuesday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the McCausland site. This meaningful evening is part of our Faith in Practice class series, and will include worship and guided experiences designed to help you center yourself and embrace the hope and healing of Jesus. We’ll explore how music, art, and even yoga can be incorporated into prayer. It will be a unique time of worship and reflection you won’t want to miss! Learn more and register here.