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Dear Friends,
In 1978, contemporary British hymn writer Brian Wren wrote these words to a new hymn (UMH 383):
This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that’s gone.
A new year offers us new days of new beginnings. As we approach the turn of the calendar page, we are urged to remember and move on.
- We remember the tragedies of 2008, and we move on to new opportunities for success in 2009.
- We remember the great joys of 2008, and we move on to yet more joy in 2009.
- We remember the interminable presidential election campaign of 2008, and we move on to the inauguration and promise of a new era of leadership in our country.
- We remember the financial crisis that brought down major corporations, and we move on to the birth of new companies and job opportunities.
- We remember the resentments that have paralyzed us in 2008, and we move on to forgive and accept those who have hurt us.
- We remember how we have hurt those we love (and may not love so much), and we pray for forgiveness and work for healing in 2009.
- We remember war, and we move on to peace.
- Add your own: We remember _______________, and we move on to _________________ in 2009.
The 4th verse of the hymn tells us:
Christ is alive, and goes before us
to show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.
God is making all things new. We serve a God who is alive and working on us and in us!
May you have an open mind to find God in new ways, an open heart to see Jesus in the face of every person you encounter in 2009–whether he or she is loving or hateful—and open doors to welcome those who need to know the grace and love of Jesus Christ in their lives ... as exhibited in ours.
I wish you a healthful, prosperous, successful, happy new year. May the blessings of God fill you with abundance!
Even in our poverty, we are blessed by the presence of the living God. May your mountaintops be high, and your valleys be made low in 2009!
Pastor Ron
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Howland United Methodist Church
730 Howland Wilson Rd NE
Warren, OH 44484
Phone: 330-856-3463
Fax: 330-856-7037
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