A Note From Jeff……
What a year. Alicia and I moved to Georgia in August 2010–meaning we have been in the Peach State for 16 months. Beginning in November and December, I began preaching at JSBC fairly regularly. In May, I became the interim pastor and inAugust the Senior Teaching Pastor. Before May, God was at work in the people of JSBC. Over the last year, the church has witnessed a season of healing, forgiveness,and spiritual growth. The church has witnessed an influx of new members as well as asteady stream of visitor’s week-to-week. Additionally, God’s work at JSBC is evidenced by God bringing two men to serve honorably with me–Darren Talley and HenryKing. Together, we want to glorify and worship God, honor and live out his word, and share the truth of his Holy Word with others. Reflecting on the past year allows us to see how God has been at work in JSBC, but the New Year represents just that–a new year! The New Year is always a special time, full of excitement and future anticipation. The New Year in the Bible was also very significant. The Passover represented the New Year for the Israelites. In Exodus 12, we read how God intervened in history and saved his chosen people from the oppressive Egyptians. The deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt is the greatest salvific event in the Old Testament. The importanceof the Passover is heightened in Exodus 12:26–27: “And when your children ask you, ‘What does the Passover ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ Then the people bowed down and worshiped.” Thus, the New Year, at least for the Israelites, meant reflecting on the providence of God, his salvific deliverance, and his grace and mercy. In the New Testament, the Passover also played an important role. We read how the Passover became a festival lasting more than one day. Faithful Jews took the appropriate measures to prepare the festivities associated with the Passover. Our Savior, Jesus Christ also observed the Passover festival. For us today, however, the Passover festival represents the time when Jesus was taken captive and interrogated by Herod and Pilate before being sentenced to death on a cross (John 19:14). Although our modern calendars do not correspond with the ancient Jewish calendar, the New Year and the ringing in of 2012 should serve as a reminder of the greatness of our God who sent his own son to die on a cross for our sins. In closing, I want to encourage each of you to take some time this month and reflect on the greatness of God and what He has done your life. Additionally, I would like to encourage you to be an active participant in reading through the Bible this year. You will find the reading plan for the month of January in this edition of the Beacon. I truly believe that God’s word speaks to us when we immerse ourselves in it. So let’s take the challenge together, let’s grow in our knowledge of the Bible but, more importantly, let’s grow in our relationship with the Lord!
In Christ’s Service,
Jeff and Alicia
