Advent is a season of longing and waiting. A time to prepare for Christmas, when Jesus is born into the world and into our lives. It’s a season of great importance in the Church year. In the midst of the darkness of winter, we prepare ourselves for the light of the world to come to us in the flesh. Advent is interesting to me because it recognizes that God has begun a new thing in Jesus coming down to earth, and it longs for the future when all things will finally be made new. Ultimately, Advent is a season that is filled with hope. Not the kind of wishful thinking that we sometimes associate with this word, but a confidence that God has been faithful in the past and He will continue to be faithful in the future as He is at work to make all things new.
As Bethany moves into Advent this year, there are many changes on the horizon in 2024. I think we find ourselves at this twin focus of God’s faithfulness in the past and looking forward to the new thing that God will do. While we mostly don’t like change and try to avoid it, I believe it is possible to embrace times of change as an opportunity for God to be at work. God can (and does) still do new things! The Advent focus on both past and future can help grow our openness to the new things God wants to do in our midst. When we look back at God’s faithful work in the past, it reminds us that we have many reasons to continue placing our hope in Christ – for right now and for this next season in the life of this church.
As you know this is my last Advent at Bethany. God has called me into a different place of ministry in the new year. One way I have been considering God’s faithfulness in the past is by reflecting on all the ways God has been at work in my life through this church and the amazing people in it. I have been at Bethany for over 18 years now, and Tracy has been here even longer. It is at Bethany where God allowed us to meet, get married, start our family, baptize our kids, and raise them to follow Jesus so far. It is at Bethany where God allowed us to meet, get married, start our family, baptize our kids, and raise them to follow Jesus so far. It is at Bethany where God allowed me to start working in youth ministry, gave me my first full-time job, called me into ordained ministry, and grew me as a new pastor. It is at Bethany where God graced us with experiences in small groups, serving on mission trips, witnessing the Holy Spirit at work in people’s lives, and building life-giving friendships that will last a lifetime.
As I contemplate God’s faithfulness in the past, it grows my hope in Christ for all the new things that God will do in the future. While I do not know all that God has planned for Bethany in 2024, I am confident that God knows what Bethany needs in this next season more than we do. While I do not know everything about my new place of ministry, I know that the God who has led me thus far will be faithful to sustain me through this change. I know that change will bring opportunities for me to grow. I know that while I will miss my Bethany family dearly, you are all still in God’s hands and He is taking care of you. I have seen how good God has been in the past, and that stirs me up to be even more hopeful for the future – both for myself and for Bethany.
I cannot begin to express my thanks to this amazing church for all the ways that you have loved and cared for me and my family over the years. It has truly been a blessing and a privilege to serve for so long in a place like this. We will miss you all so much. God has used this place to bless our lives, and as we go into a new season of church ministry, we will be sharing the Bethany blessings with many others.
So as we move into this season of Advent, I am praying that you would hold onto hope. Look for the ways that God has been faithful in the past and let that stir up your confident hope that God will continue to be faithful in this next season. God has been so faithful, and God is still in the business of making all things new.
In Christ,
Thomas Johnson
