Dear First Pres,
This coming Sunday is New Year’s Eve, the last day of 2023. Where has the time gone? When I told Dan Kimball that I’m preaching this Sunday, He informed me (with a cheeky smile) that the service after Christmas is called “National Associate Pastor Day,” the day all the senior pastors go on vacation and associates, like me, get to stay behind and prepare for the sermon. (Thank you, Jeremy.)
All joking aside, New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite times to preach. Why? Because we get to reflect on the past year (the good and the bad), and look forward to the new year. The week after Christmas and before the new year is a time of transition and reflection - an in-between, liminal time of transition from the old to the new. People seem more open to change, perhaps even looking for change. In spiritual language, an opportunity to shed the old wineskin, and put on the new wine skin (Luke 5:38).
How has the past year been for you? What have been some of your highlights? (A wise person once said, “We don’t learn from experience, but upon reflection on that experience.”) Was it a good year? A difficult year? A mixture of both? And how do you measure success or failure? What is your success metric? Has it changed over the years?
As I reflect back on 2023, I can’t help but feel gratitude for the Lord’s provision and faithfulness. Last year around this time, Karen, myself, and 11 month old Micah, were out of the country, in between jobs, wondering, “What’s next?” Fast forward one year, and we’ve been welcomed into the First Pres family, happily serving this community as your minister of Disciple-making for almost a year. We’ve also become a family of four, with the birth of baby Judah. Life has been full. But it has not been easy.
When I look at the world, 2023 has been one of the most tumultuous years, full of war and uncertainty. As Pastor Jeremy shared, there have been some really hard things - not only in the world, but in our church family. Some of you can’t wait for 2023 to be over (and I don’t blame you). We’ve experienced both joys and pains, victories and sufferings.
As we look forward to 2024, one thing that doesn’t change is our hope in Christ. In the midst of war, chaos, and the storms of life — Jesus remains the steadfast anchor to our souls (Heb. 6:19). This hope is firm and secure.
How can we, as a church family, lean into gospel hope, this blessed assurance we have in Jesus? How can we prioritize our faith in Jesus, above the busyness of life? How can we trust Jesus more, with our hearts and with our homes?
21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: This annual united prayer tradition is coming up in January, and it’s one of the most powerful times of the year! We meet at 21 different churches throughout Fresno/Clovis from January 8th to 28th, and we would love for you to be part of it. FPC will be hosting the prayer night on Friday, January 26th at 7pm. You don’t want to miss it!
Luke 11:02 Prayer Campaign (Alpha): In this passage, Luke teaches us to pray “Your Kingdom come.” At 11:02 a.m. (set your alarm) each day for 21 days, I'm inviting you to pray for three people - we are believing to explore faith, expectant for God to move in their lives. These 21 days of prayer coincides with our Alpha Launch in February. Who can you invite to Alpha to explore life, faith, and meaning? Join us in this journey as we pray for others in our community. Lord, let your kingdom come, your will be done, in Fresno as it is in heaven.
With Blessing and Grace,
Jon Jo
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