A New Year Message – Exciting Times Ahead

It’s an exciting time to be at Stavanger Lutheran Church!  Thank you for bringing me here to walk with you as your Intentional Interim Pastor.  Through our work together, I expect that we will begin to see God’s plan for Stavanger’s future unfold over the coming year.  I also think that we will all learn, grow, and stretch a bit this year, simply because transitions and new beginnings tend to do that.  It’s so encouraging to see your church council looking to the future with optimism and excitement and I pray that when I arrive in January, I will see that positive energy taking hold among the congregation too!

What’s New with This New Year

The beginning of a new year is always full of fresh starts and new habits.  If we think past our involvement in the church for a moment, we can see how society often prompts our minds to think about renewing ourselves this time of year, or perhaps “new-and-improving” ourselves is a better way to word it!  But beyond the potential for weight loss and promises to do better at whatever we each struggle with, what’s new with this New Year? We still have the same difficulties in our lives that we did in December. We still feel the burden of paychecks that run out before the month does, the stress of family dysfunction, health problems that leave us worried, and the overall weight of the world upon our overscheduled lives. Besides the renewed determination we may have to quit smoking or lose a few pounds this January, there may not seem to be much new going on at all.

Embracing Forgiveness and Renewal in the New Year

But there is newness of life, new beginnings, and forgiveness that wipes the slate clean, all granted through Jesus Christ. Through his death and resurrection, we are made new! We become children of God and heirs to his kingdom. Christ lifts the burdens in our lives that we cannot, and he hears our cries for help that we can’t find the words to speak. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed from sinners to saints, forgiven and loved by the Father.

Let this message be your good start to the New Year! Even without “new-and-improving” yourself, Christ forgives your sin, sets you free from the overwhelming brokenness of this world, and promises you eternal life. Even with so much being the same as last year, 2025 sounds like it’s off to a wonderful start! Thanks be to God!

I’m looking forward to being there with you soon to experience God’s goodness at Stavanger over the coming year.

Pastor Jennifer Bennet