SERMON NOTES:

Prayer Requests Y Praise God for the gift of His Son. Y Pray that the Church of Jesus Christ will continue to proclaim the Word to the world. Y For continued growth of Chain of Lakes Church and guidance in the decisions to come. Y For Garrett McKinley, infant boy died. Y For all the troops finally coming home! Y For Karina Marins marriage and for the upcoming birth of their baby. Y For the family and new baby girl who was born to Judith Shu and Jonathan Tse. Y For Chuck Godfrey and his family as they grieve for the passing of his step-father. Y Pray for Erika Dochniak as she struggles with diabetes. Y Pray for a seven year old boy named Carter Olson who is undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer. Prayers are working!! So far he is tolerating chemo but has 4 more months of treatment ahead of him. Y Pray for Jennifers sister Rebecca Klein as their family go through divorce. Y Pray for Angelicas friend Ann, a friend and colleague, who is receiving treatment for breast cancer.

Y Pray for Carole Lloyd, a friend of Pastor Paul and Amy Moore, whose brain cancer has reappeared. Y Pray for Dwight Zvorak as he recovers from the disease of alcoholism. Y Pray for persons and process involved in property purchase for COL.

DEVOTION

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon around 4000 b.c.., and by 2000 b.c. the new year was celebrated in early spring to coordinate with the arrival of new life in nature. The Romans observed the New Year in late March but various emperors kept tampering with the calendar until the calendar was out of sync with the sun. Finally, in 46 b.c., Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar and firmly fixed January 1 as the designated day of the new year. In the early church there was tension between the church and the state because the New Year celebration was an elaborate pagan festivity. As the church continued to grow and became widespread across the nations, it began to establish its own religious observances and celebrations. Their religious festivities were often concurrent with many pagan celebrations. So Christians gave new meaning to common pagan celebrations. Thats what has happened for many Christians in going from

Christmas to the New Year. So, as Christians we celebrate the new year as a time when God brings new hope and peace and joy through the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord. We can see the New Year as Gods call for us to bring new life to our faith and love. MONDAY, January 2 Read Romans 8:28 Think back through 2011. Sit and jot down some of the highs that brought you joy and hope this past year. The birth of a child, the graduation of a youth, a jobless person who found employment, a wedding, baptism, or an unforgettable achievement by you or someone you love. As you remember some beautiful events that enriched or nurtured your life, read Romans 8:28 at least three times. Stop and think and concentrate how Gods purpose was being worked out for goodness in your life. Praise God for the many and various good things that have lifted you up and brought you joy. TUESDAY, January 3 Read Romans 8:35 and 37 Today, jot down the difficult or hurtful experiences that happened this past year. This is often hard to do because we tend to blot out some of the things that brought us pain. But, think hard. Write them down. You might have hurt a friend, or a neighbor, or a family member. Someone may have consciously or unconsciously used words that cut you deeply. Someone may have done something that brought you disappointment. Read Romans 8:35, 37 at least three times. Have any of the

things that hurt you separated you from the love of Christ? Read each event that caused you pain and ask the love of Christ to forgive you or the offender. Turn the events over to God by throwing the paper in the garbage or burning it. Praise God for forgiveness and for Gods love that is with you through all things. WEDNESDAY, January 4 Read Romans 8:38 and 39. Jot down both the great joys and the potential struggles that lie ahead in the New Year for your family, with your friends, with the Chain of Lakes community, on your job, or in your volunteer work. Now read Romans 8:38-39 at least three times. Sit back and relax and praise God that you do not walk into the future alone. You always have the divine presence of God through Jesus Christ walking with you. Praise God that you know the presence of Christ will follow you in the year ahead and pray that nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. THURSDAY, January 5 2 Corinthians 12:9 We all want to be in control of our lives. In fact, many of our conflicts occur over whos in charge, who has control. We work hard to avoid losing control or being controlled by someone or some condition. And yet, we are all under some power or authority beyond us. We may rebel or resist but we are still subject to a power we cannot control. Now read 2 Corinthians 12:9 at least three times. Paul says that Gods grace is sufficient for us. In fact,

Paul points out that we are all weak and controlled by many forces around us, so the more we rely on Gods grace the stronger we are to face all the problems that come our way. Lets admit our weaknesses and discover new strength in Gods grace. Pray for Gods grace to surround you and sustain you through this next year. FRIDAY, January 6 I Corinthians 15:10 When we enter the New Year we are always confronted with the challenge to make resolutions. We hear people express what they want to do different in the New Year. Of course, we all have dreams of doing something different or changing some of our habits. But, usually, within hours, days or even weeks we lose some of our enthusiasm for the ideal and revert back to the real, the way we are. Read I Corinthians 15:10. I love what Paul says about us. He says, by the grace of God I am what I am, and Gods grace toward me is not in vain. In other words, God made us as we are and we need to accept who we are as Gods immeasurable gift. So walk into the future with your head held high and be proud of who you are because you are a child of God and God loves you. Pray that you can accept who you are in Gods grace. SATURDAY, January 7 Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah says it all. Speaking on behalf of God, Jeremiah proclaims, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give

you a future and a hope. Wow! God has created each of us for a purpose. That purpose is for our good. God has a plan for our lives, a plan to bring goodness and love, a plan to enrich lives around us. Even though, at times, the future doesnt look so promising, we know that the future is part of Gods plan for us. That brings us hope, hope that does not fade with the uncertainty of politics or economics. Pray today that Gods plan will work through you to bring hope and peace and joy for all those around you.