As 2020 comes to a close, I feel the Holy Spirit encouraging us to reflect on the lessons we learned that we can carry with us into 2021. While the difficulties of this year may cause us to want to erase 2020 from our memory, I dare say that in the midst of it, there was much good gained that we ought not soon forget.
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 103:2
Remember how we began 2020 with “Joy Wins!”? While weeping may remain for the night, JOY comes in the morning. We learned in every circumstance, in Christ, Joy Wins! The “Emotionally Healthy Community” series carried us through March where we discussed how Christians must be both spiritually and emotionally mature since God desires for us to be whole in every aspect of our being: body, soul, and spirit. How appropriate the timing of those topics were for the wrecking ball that would hit in March.
April’s focus was Easter: the celebration of Christ's resurrection! At our Nichols location, the Stations of the Cross were posted along our prayer and nature trail. It was delightful to see how many neighbors came through and enjoyed it. Spring continued with May bringing the “Living Exiled” series. The church to which James wrote his letter had a severe experience of exile, being scattered and persecuted. As we faced the implications of the pandemic, being thrust out of our normal life into a form of exile, we discovered this letter had much to say to our situation too.
You may remember how June brought the “Stand Firm” series, which emphasized the need for perseverance. We studied characters from Scripture and history, like Daniel, Moses, Harriet Tubman, and Joseph, who persevered as examples for us today. In July we discussed “New Day Flavor”. Every church has areas they tend to excel in or emphasize. We discussed our value for discipleship, community, the presence of God, our F.I.R.E. values, and multiplying churches. Summer concluded with the August series called “Fear Not”. We spoke into the issues of the day (like the pandemic, unknowns, political upheaval, and the divisiveness of our culture), highlighting that we need not fear because our all-powerful God is always with us and has already defeated the enemy!
Fall began with the “Soul Search” series. We introduced the S.O.U.L. acronym as a metric to use in accessing how we are doing in regards to our relationship with Scripture, Others, Upward (God), and Life. Our fall community groups used this model in their discussions. The October series called “Under God?” encouraged us to keep our politics subject to the principles of Christ’s kingdom and Biblical truth in order to make Kingdom-informed decisions when engaging in our politically-charged world. November was all about “Practicing the Presence” because spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, hearing God’s voice, and soaking are valuable parts of the Christian life and will improve when practiced.
Finally, December– ahhh, the marvelous season of Advent to reflect on Jesus’ arrival and all the fulfillment surrounding his coming. We learned to prepare ourselves and others as we expectantly look forward to his return. In looking back on the themes that defined 2020, what good things will you remember and carry with you into 2021?
If you would like to revisit, watch or listen to any messages from 2020 on our website (click here).