The Pastor’s Pen
A new year has arrived, quietly and without asking our permission.
None of us really knows what 2026 will hold. Some absolutely wonderful things will happen – moments of laughter we couldn’t have planned, grace we didn’t see coming, love that surprises us by how strong it turns out to be. And some truly hard things will happen too – losses we wish we could avoid, disappointments that catch us off guard, days when the road ahead feels uncertain or heavy.
That is not pessimism. It is simply the truth of being human.
What we do know – what we have been promised – is that God will be with us through all of it. Not just in the celebrations, but in the long middle places. Not only when prayers feel easy, but when words fail and silence does the praying for us. The God who came to us in Jesus did not come to guarantee smooth journeys, but faithful presence. Scripture rarely tells us what the future holds. It tells us, again and again, who goes with us.
So as this new year begins, we step forward not with certainty, but with trust. We carry hope alongside humility. We make plans while holding them lightly. And we walk into 2026 believing that whatever awaits us – joy or sorrow, clarity or confusion – we will not walk alone.
Grace and peace to you in this new year. May you know God’s presence in all that comes.
See you Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Greg
Cpastorgreg@lawrencevillepresbyterian.org
None of us really knows what 2026 will hold. Some absolutely wonderful things will happen – moments of laughter we couldn’t have planned, grace we didn’t see coming, love that surprises us by how strong it turns out to be. And some truly hard things will happen too – losses we wish we could avoid, disappointments that catch us off guard, days when the road ahead feels uncertain or heavy.
That is not pessimism. It is simply the truth of being human.
What we do know – what we have been promised – is that God will be with us through all of it. Not just in the celebrations, but in the long middle places. Not only when prayers feel easy, but when words fail and silence does the praying for us. The God who came to us in Jesus did not come to guarantee smooth journeys, but faithful presence. Scripture rarely tells us what the future holds. It tells us, again and again, who goes with us.
So as this new year begins, we step forward not with certainty, but with trust. We carry hope alongside humility. We make plans while holding them lightly. And we walk into 2026 believing that whatever awaits us – joy or sorrow, clarity or confusion – we will not walk alone.
Grace and peace to you in this new year. May you know God’s presence in all that comes.
See you Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Greg
Cpastorgreg@lawrencevillepresbyterian.org
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