A note from Pastor regarding his sermon:

Most of us are probably quite familiar with the feeling of new beginnings common to New Year’s Day: as the year changes, we often hear that this is a time to make positive changes in our lives, to make New Year’s resolutions, to forget about what we regret about the previous year and look forward to doing things a little bit better this next year.

But those of us who bear the mark of original sin find that the past is not so easily forgotten about or left behind. Our old vices and sins always seem to find a way to pop back up, and our resolve to change our lives often weakens, fades, or disappears within a matter of weeks. As Christians, however, we need not wait for a specific day to make positive changes, and we recognize that the most important things in life are given to us freely, as gifts from our God. In Christ, we rise daily to new life, as new creations washed in the waters of Holy Baptism and declared righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice. We celebrate not just a new year, but new life… and on every day we experience in this world!