Pastor's Note - December 29 
We begin another new year! Who knows what the new year holds. But we know this – God will grant to us new expressions of His love, new outpourings of His blessings, new assurances of forgiveness, new opportunities for growth, and all kinds of new and ongoing grace from Him. We know this because Scripture tells us that His mercies are new every morning. This famous verse comes from one of the most sorrowful books of the Bible, Lamentations, which expresses the pain of Israel’s suffering in captivity. For Israel, it seemed all favor of God was lost. Yet right in the middle of the book, Lamentations 3:22-23 reads; “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” I don’t know what you bring into 2023. Maybe you have been lifted by a year of great joys. Maybe you are limping after a year of challenges. Whatever the case, there is fresh grace and mercy for you. The Lord doesn’t hold you under the weight of your past. Rather, He offers new hope and strength. Not in your power and goodness, but in His. My prayer is that, as you look to find new strength and energy (and maybe develop new habits), you know that the grace you need is not found within, but in the Lord who gives new expressions of grace each day.