Heavy Breathing

I can remember when my 11 year-old boy, Joey, finished his first 5k race. He was out of breath. Not only was he out of breath, but he was so out of breath that he wanted nothing to do with me. He ripped the water bottle out of my hand and walked about 100 yards away to simply focus on breathing.

This past Sunday was another such occasion. People were emotionally out of breath. This is the case nearly every year, the Sunday after Christmas. It is more apparent when Christmas Eve lands one or two days before Sunday. The result is that attendance goes down and many of those who do come to worship almost seem to drag themselves into the sanctuary.

How we deal with this annual trend is critical to how the month of January goes for the church. Yes, Joey was tired and needed to recover (wouldn't you?). But what came next was the difference between regression and progression. His first words to me, once he had enough oxygen, were 'That was awesome!'. He immediately wanted to know when the next race would happen.

As a Christian community, we always need to look ahead, even as we are tired from the past. It is the difference between a church that regresses to what use to be and a church that progresses toward what God wants it to be. When we ask, 'what is next', we open the door to a January that is full of hope and dreams instead of a January that is gloomy and gray.

At Emmanuel, you will have plenty encouragement to look ahead. But ultimately it will need to be you to open your mind to the possibilities. I hope you find that your January is even more exciting than your December. May God fill you with hopes and dreams.