Dear HBIC Family,

This time of year, as we gather around dinner tables and in living rooms, the stories seem to just freely flow out of us. Some stories we share keep us laughing in pure delight. Other stories we tell help us remember the past poignantly. The stories we tell bond us closer together and remind us of how far we have come, where we are, and sometimes even where we are going.

I love that we are a people of story. We teach and learn through our stories. We see others and we are seen by others through our stories. We connect and are inspired by our stories. We invite others in, and share who we are, through our stories. I love that telling our stories helps us to hold on to our people whether in an embrace, or in our hearts. 

In Scripture, we are consistently called to tell the story of God – who God is, what God has done, and what God promises to do. In life, we are strengthened when we can see how God has been faithful, good, and true. Through our stories, we remember how God has fulfilled promises to us, we are reminded that God is with us still, and we tell of the hope that we have in our God who loves us so perfectly. 

For the past few years, we have celebrated a special Testimony Sunday. We worship very much the same, with our songs, prayers, and updates about life in our church family. The one significant change is this: Instead of a sermon, we take time to tell a little bit of our stories from the year that passed. This is a great time of encouragement, inspiration, and connection as we hear from sisters and brothers about how God has brought them through the year!

As you prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 1:4-9. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:

• What are you thankful for as you remember the year that was?
• How has God been faithful to you this year?
• What is one story you have to tell about this past year?
• How have you been encouraged by the story of God this year?
• How is God calling you to pray as we end this year?

I love that we are beginning this new year by telling stories and sharing testimonies of the year that was. I encourage you to also spend some time preparing your hearts, not only to share, but to hear. I ask you to pray that what is shared will be a blessing to us all. I trust that God, who has worked in us in 2022, will be there with us in 2023. 

May the story of God always live in our hearts and fall freely from our lips. May the work of God in our lives always be our witness to the world. And may our God who is faithful, good, and true be the One we live for every single day, and with every single breath!

God bless you all. 

Love in Christ,

Pastor Hank (1 Corinthians 1:4-6)