This Sabbath, December 28, is the last Sabbath of 2024. The question must be asked, “Have we finished 2024 in a better spiritual condition than we began?” Other questions regarding our spiritual journey naturally springboard from this first question. Are we individually and collectively growing in our relationship with Christ? Are we committed to the cause of Christ? Are we serving the body of Christ with our talents and abilities? Have we improved our prayer lives, our devotional lives, and our desire to share the hope of salvation as found in Jesus with others? Are we progressing and finishing well?
As I look back over the church calendar year, many positive things have happened in the life of our church community. Our ministry to the children and youth of our church has improved dramatically. Reeling from the aftermath of an empty church during the years of COVID-19, our Sabbath Schools are filling up, and our club ministries (Adventurers and Pathfinders) are thriving. Our young people, supported by our adults, are leading out musically in offering songs of praise and thanksgiving to our great and gracious God. This Sabbath, two of our young people will say yes to Jesus through the rite of baptism! Praise God! The holiday season brought out the best in our orchestra and youth in back-to-back December worship services. The nominating committee has selected a new slate of officers who are eager to serve the church body and community by offering high-quality programming and service. Our prayer ministries’ team has revolutionized our midweek prayer meetings with sixty minutes of meaningful study, interaction, and prayer. Our church renovations are proceeding; little by little, we see the unfolding of a beautiful “house of prayer for all people” before our very eyes. Financially, the people of God have demonstrated their faithfulness, our bills are paid, and the church board is committed to being wise and faithful stewards of the decisions they make on behalf of the church membership. Yes, as a church, I believe we are progressing well, but we are not yet finished! We will only be finished when God pronounces, “well done, good, and faithful servant(s).”
As we end one year and look forward to a new year, we must be intentional to go only where the Holy Spirit leads us. Next Tuesday evening, December 31, we will have a New Year’s service in the Youth Chapel from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The service will provide an opportunity for individuals to say thank you to the good Lord for his mercies and benefits. Please let the church office know by voicemail or email if you plan on attending this Sabbath, December 28. Next Sabbath, January 4, 2025, we will begin the New Year’s Church service with a communion service. Please take some time to prepare for this special service prayerfully. Our 2025 focus on Pentecostal revival will include both a spring week of revival with a guest speaker and a fall evangelistic series led out by the elders of Willowdale. To progress and finish well, we must be a church community that is constantly guided by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit must be present in our interpersonal relationships, and forgiveness must be freely offered and accepted when we mess up and make mistakes with each other.
Finally, on the topic of finishing well. I was blessed to be a part of the celebration of life for the late Jim Bruce. Brother Bruce was a pillar of commitment and faithful service within our church and the greater North York community. Thank you to the Willowdale church family for your support and continued prayers for Sister Evelyn and the entire Bruce family during their time of loss. May all of us echo the words of the apostle Paul, but with a change of tense, “I’m fighting the good fight, I’m running the race every day, I’m keeping the faith, I’m planning on finishing well by God’s grace.” Amen.