The Sixth Day of Christmas
Hello to the 6th Day of Christmas!
It’s December 30, which means the new year is just around the corner. As we head into 2024, have you made any resolutions or set any goals? My family and I have been hit or miss on goals over the years and like many, we’ve really tried … in January. This year we’re thinking about keeping it simple. Focusing on key words, but also things that we can measure and say, “We did that!”
In one of the readings given for this day, the Apostle Paul gives a list of Christian Character Traits to abide by, which is a great place for us to start if we’re pondering not just our resolutions, but the kind of people we would love to be in the days to come:
“12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people. 16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.”
Imagine if you could say next December, “I did that!” Do you want to be able to say, that in speech or action, I did it all in the name of Jesus as a way to give thanks to God? One of the things that we believe in Methodism, and the bedrock of what we’re creating at Community UMC, is that by the grace of God we, individually and collectively, can get better everyday. None of us is going to wake up on January 1, 2024 an entirely different person. However, each one of us can move with purpose to grow, to be better, more patient, more tolerant, more forgiving, more curious … we could go on!
What do you need to be better at in the name of Jesus in 2024?
In Christ,
Pastor Jarrod