New Year's message
The Joy of the Lord is your Strength
“Is this New Year going to be a fortunate year for me or not? What can I do to make this year fortunate for me?” These are some of the questions raised among people in the world, which we can learn from different cultural practices around the world. On the other side the religious practices, too, remind people by making many resolutions for themselves at the beginning of the New Year to have a pleasant year. In reality, as we move on day by day, our life situations inevitably change and enable us to change our decisions or New Year resolutions too. So how do we make the New Year fortunate for us?
As we think about LTCC’s new year promises for this year, the Book of Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that we need to focus on our real strength throughout this year: “the joy of the LORD is your strength.” The Old Testament talks about the people of Israel. When they rejoiced in God and delighted in his law, His presence was with them, and He showed himself as an ever-present helper and defender in their life journey. From the Book of Nehemiah also we can learn, if we expect to experience a fortunate year of having spiritual strength each day of this New Year, we must begin every day with God’s Word.
The Psalmist reminds us: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things. His right hand and holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1). The real strength comes to us when we are able to see and reflect on what God has done every day in our lives and to sing praises to Him. The joy of the Lord is our strength and we can sing new songs to praise Him.
As we are journeying in the 50th year of our Church life, some of you have written your handwritten Book of Psalms and brought it to the Anniversary Sunday in June and Carol Service in December 2022. I thank you and wish others to continue this project, and as we enter the year 2023, I ask you to bring your handwritten Psalm book to the Anniversary Sunday service in June of this new year where your reward will be given from the Church.
Our continuous praising of the Lord and rejoicing in His beautiful deeds amongst us need to be shared throughout this New Year. May the joy of the Lord be our strength individually and corporately. God has placed every one of us wherever we are for a purpose in our lives.
All blessings come from Him. I encourage you all to rejoice in the Lord always, in our opportunities and even in our challenges in this New Year.
I wish you all a very Happy, Blessed and Peaceful New Year 2023.
In His Mission
Revd Jessie Anand, Minister, LTCC
1st January 2023