January 2026
It is usual at the time when an old year is ending and a new year is about to start, to think about what the coming year might hold.
For some of us, a lot of plans might already be locked in.
You have a big holiday booked. You are planning to get married. You are starting a new job.
Others may just see it as business as usual. Maybe you simply plan to take what happens this year as it comes.
Still others may be viewing the New Year with some trepidation. It’s true that our world is not the way we want it to be. There is much that is happening both around the world and at home that can bring a sense of fear about the future. The recent attack on Jews in Bondi is an example.
The good news is that as followers of Christ, we have nothing to fear.
Firstly, we are held safe in God’s hands. John 10:28-29 Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand”.
So, we are eternally safe – no matter what happens. After that everything else seems like a secondary worry. It is good to make our plans and to see them happen.
But ultimately, it will be God who decides what we will experience in 2026.
Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
I pray that 2026 is a great year for you as you follow God’s leading and give thanks to Him, no matter the circumstances you find yourself in.
Happy New Year
Pastor Murray
December 2024
Joy to the World – The Lord has come! The wonderful message of Christmas.
Each year in December, we celebrate the birth of Jesus as a human into this world. Of course, this is not really the beginning of the story of Jesus.
John chapter 1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. The Word was the creator of all things.
John also writes that this same Word became flesh and lived with us. Christmas is celebrating when the eternal Word was born as a human and given the name Jesus.
It is a wonderful blessing that Jesus was in this world as one of us. The gospels record the teachings, ministry and miracles that Jesus gave. But far more amazing is that only 33 years after his arrival, the Word of God was hung on a cross to suffer a cruel death. And then to rise again to life on the third day.
That was always God’s plan.
This Christmas, we rightly should celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. But we should always keep our eye on why Jesus came and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for us.
Jesus is the true Joy in our world.
Pastor Murray