Happy New Year... // M-Note 11.23.24

Happy New Year! I know, I’m a little early on the well wishes according to our secular calendar. But, by the church calendar, this coming Sunday is the last one of the year. Traditionally, the new church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, the 4-week season leading up to Christmas. Much like its secular sibling, the church new year is a time when Christians historically were challenged to think about their lives, what they wanted to leave behind, what they wanted to pick up, and how they wanted to focus themselves in preparation for the birth of Jesus.
 
I know that for many of us, we are just trying to get through the next day and week. It is hard to think too far ahead. But with Thanksgiving next week, we will all be turning a corner and heading fast into Christmas. If we aren’t careful, we can get right up to the holiday and never have made time for anything different, special, or spiritual!
 
So today, I want to invite you to look ahead. Anticipate not just the busyness of the upcoming season, but right now think about what you might need to stop. What do you need to change or leave behind so that the month ahead can feel different? What do you want to take on or try this holiday? Begin making space in your life now for a fresh rhythm that can help you experience this holiday season in a new way. Here at The Gathering, we want to help you experience this time of year more deeply, more meaningfully, and more connected to Jesus.
 
So I hope you will decide right now to make weekly worship from now until the end of the year a priority. I promise it will be worth it. This weekend, I will be finishing our series “Why Do Bad Things Happen?” as we finish our study on the Book of Job. There will be an opportunity for you to respond to what we have been talking about and a chance to be prayed for by one of our pastors. Then, in December, we will be starting a new series “Getting Ready for Christmas,” and this Sunday, we will be announcing all the times for our Christmas Eve services. I also encourage you to sign up to receive the Advent Devotional, a short, daily scripture reading, prayer & reflection that begins on Sunday, December 1.
 
I love this time of year in church and I hope you are looking forward to it as well. Please consider right now, who in your life might benefit from an invitation to church. This time of year, people are feeling a lot of ways. Some are too busy, some lonely. Some are struggling, and others are caught up in all the wrong things. Many people want to introduce something more faithful into their life, but don’t know where to start. Please invite those that you know to join you here at The Gathering.
 
I can’t wait to enter a new year alongside all of you. Have a great weekend and I can’t wait to see you Sunday.
 
Peace,
 
Matt
 
P.S. This weekend, at our McCausland site, we will be finishing up Christmas decorations. We would love for you to stay after 10:30am worship and help us out. You can sign up to let us know you’re coming, or make a game time decision to stay on Sunday. Either way, we’d really appreciate the help. It is a lot of fun and shouldn’t take too long with your help.