Wrapping Up The Year
“The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
Your decrees are very sure; holiness berifts your house, O LORD, forevermore”
-Psalm 93 (NRSV)
What I’ve always found compelling is that when the Israelites were enthroning a new king, they wouldn’t sing songs about THAT king. Surely there are celebrations of David, etc., but the psalms we have don’t aim to lift up the king – they aim to remind that king of THE King whom they serve.
If you read through Kings and Chronicles, there’s a formulaic patterns of time passing associated with “and then the reign of _____ began, and it lasted ______.” The enthronement of a king was something that marked eras in history for the Israelites and thus serves almost like we see the start of the new year.
So, what songs are we singing as we wrap up 2023 and enter into 2024?
Songs about us? Or songs that remind us that we’re actually more than just ourselves?
- We are part of God’s great handiwork.
- We are part of the sanctification of the world.
- We get the privilege of stewarding resources for holy purposes.
- We are God’s children, born of Christ.
I’ve been really proud of how Creekwood has embodied this sentiment in 2023. Specifically in the last 2 months, but really over the last 18 months, the people of Creekwood have stepped up to do tasks big and small so that the church wouldn’t just survive, but thrive. Some of my favorite moments include:
- Our two work days, where 60-80 people came together to fix, maintain, and beautify the property God entrusted to us. It was hard work, but it was fun to be together!
- The Student Mission Trip to Slidell, LA. I wasn’t on the trip, but it was exciting to follow along through the many texts sent to me with pictures of students working hard for others and having a lot of fun along the way. To see the silhouette of Ava Loter being baptized in Lake Ponchartrain was stunning. It was even better to see, upon return, the close bonds those students had formed with Christ and with each other.
- Receiving a note from extended family members out of state, thanking Pastor Wendy and her team for mailing a prayer quilt to them, simply because one of our members had lifted them up in prayer.
- Welcoming 64 new members and handing them a beautiful picture of the prayer garden cross, printed by Tom Reece.
- Seeing a great big sign thanking our Veterans, hand-drawn by our Children’s Sunday school classes as they continue to learn that they are part of a bigger story than just themselves.
- Soups and Sweets from all the way back in January, where the aroma of generosity flooded the hallways and filled my stomach.
There are, of course, plenty more. From piling ACO donations into the Whitehead’s pick-up truck to the excitement of bringing on more staff recently to the beauty of Easter Sunrise Service.
Financial Update
As we give thanks to God for 2023 and embark on honoring and serving God further in 2024, I also wanted to give you a financial update. As of 12:45 pm on Wednesday the 27th, we are $21,455.60 short of all of our commitments for the year. There are still opportunities to give on Sunday, December 31, or online via the button below. We thank everyone for their generosity this year and I’m proud that we are in a much better position already than last year. Please consider an extra gift as we wrap up 2023 and start 2024 with God’s blessings!
Peace,
David Lessner
