Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. --Luke 2:51

Dear Church Family,

I know this is a strange text to begin my article with, but stick with me, and I’ll explain. It’s from the only story we have about Jesus’ childhood, and it’s found in Luke chapter two. Jesus was 12 years old, and he went the temple in Jerusalem with his parents. When they began the long journey home to Nazareth, he stayed behind to listen and ask questions of the rabbis. His parents thought he was with the group only to discover after three days that they had left him behind. They quickly returned to the temple to find him and bring him home.

Dear Church Family,

I just returned from walking our dog in the rain. He was soaked, and I had to towel him off in the garage before letting him inside. As he wriggled around, I wondered why drying off a dog always seems to wind them up. Nevertheless, we were both drenched, and it had to be done.

Dear Church Family,
 
On Sunday, we continue our annual sermon series, Words You Hear In Church. I love this series as it give us the chance to explore the deeper meaning behind words we often use in church. And this Sunday's word is gospel.
 

Now, I don't want to give away the sermon, but I will say that, at its core, the word gospel simply means good news. (We'll dig deeper into that on Sunday; don't miss out.) But good news can be hard to come by these days.

Dear Church Family,

On Tuesday I assumed that I would start my first article of 2025 with, “Happy New Year!” But 24 hours later, those words feel somehow out of place as I have been in touch with clergy and friends who have spent the last 24 hours being evacuated and wondering whether their homes will be there when they return. Suddenly the phrase, “Happy New Year” doesn’t seem to be the best way to start this article.

Yesterday, I helped our Trustees Chair move furniture from the Fellowship Hall walkway to make sure it didn’t get blown over in the high winds. At the same moment, my friends were quickly grabbing what they could and putting it in their cars. For the rest of the evening, like many of you, I watched the reports in disbelief as places I had visited, shared meals, and worshipped were threatened by fast-moving fires. How quickly everything can change.