Liberty Vineyard family,
Today, on this last day of 2024, we can reflect back with gratitude on another year of the Lord’s grace! It’s been “a year,” for sure! In the past twelve months, many of us have experienced some personal high highs and/or low lows. There have been reasons to persevere, reasons to party, reasons to recuperate, reasons to roll up our sleeves, reasons to mourn, reasons to rejoice, reasons to doubt, and reasons to hope. There are always reasons to pray and to worship. Through it all, may we each seek to want and to choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in us.
It’s so hard to put into words the good, holy, and beautiful work that God has done and continues to do in, among, and through us at Liberty Vineyard Church. Our church family is so hardworking, generous, and intrepid (I’ve always liked that word … just looked it up: adj. brave, nerdy … It’s actually “nervy” but I happily misread the second definition)! We have participated in countless gatherings, multitudinous celebrations, and at least 30 organized outreaches (by sharing prayer, music, time, food, sweat, donations, whatever we’ve got!). On top of those, we have together loved on neighbors and nations through myriads of other more organic opportunities like Tamera’s Night of Lights and Miss Vick’s Market Day, and, by doing what is arguably the most important thing of all: just showing up and being present in each other’s lives in countless ways! And we have so much fun doing it (Christmas Carol Bingo, anyone?)!
Jesus: “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Also Jesus: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).
From Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Honestly, thinking about all that our church gets up to, no wonder we have started to get a reputation for being a church that has a “willingness to participate and try anything.” I couldn’t be more proud of you guys. Doing life with y’all is a JOY! We all struggle at times to find the proper motivation to do that which will help us and others to flourish. No one is always in their best frame of mind or body. And yet, somehow, as we walk this journey together, God graces us with the encouragement and the strength and the motivation we lack, precisely because we’re doing it together, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hmmm, maybe we’ll have a t-shirt design contest some time? Here’s my entry, just in case:
2025 will have struggles and challenges of its own. Of that we have no doubt! We don’t know which ones we will face, but we can rest assured that there will be struggles and challenges. The good news is that we do not have to face any of them alone. God is with us. And we are on this journey together. Onward and upward, brothers and sisters, we who are together: brave, nerdy, and present! We don’t have it all figured out, but we can be certain of this: we are not alone, and the Lord will help us every step of the way. Let’s go! Come, Holy Spirit! Happy New Year!
With you on the journey,
Pastor Karen
Liberty Vineyard Church
Karen Sculley – (404) 388-0518, karen@srsoln.com
Recent sermons: