Embracing change: finding hope and faith for the future

It’s hard to believe another year has come to an end and another has begun. Over this past year, we have had many ups and downs. My hope is that you have had more ups than downs. Challenges have been put before us and hopes have been offered.

We have had to say goodbye to friends, and hello to new friends. For us at the Doniphan UMC, we are dealing with the loss of our building, and the closing of our sister church in Neelyville. But I also welcomed the birth of my newest granddaughter and look forward to another grandchild in February.

I think the lesson here is that the one constant in life is change. Time is always moving us toward the future and with that there is always change. I think that is why the ghost of Christmas future is such a terrifying specter in Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol.” The future can be quite terrifying. Well, maybe not for everyone. As believers, we have the assurance that God does not change.

Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us that God is everlasting. Revelation 1:8 says God is the one who is, who was and who is to come. Even in Matthew 28, Jesus tells us he will be with us until the end of the age.

Yes, we are uncertain about the future, but that is the way of things. The future is always a guess. We cannot predict the weather with 100% accuracy. We make plans that never work out. We buy items that will not last forever, and we make appointments that we cannot keep.

But God is always as he is. His love never leaves us, and his spirit is always with us. So, what do we have to fear for the future?

The year 2025 can be a year of great hope or great anxiety, it will be dependent upon how you look at it. For me, I am looking forward to what God has in mind. Already he has made it clear that the future will be bright if we only trust in him. For Doniphan UMC, we are looking into a very hopeful and blessed future. I don’t know how things will turn out, but I do know God isn’t done with our church. I am also hopeful of the new church on the charge, Alton UMC. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2025 there in Alton. ( For those who don’t know, I serve Doniphan and Alton churches)

The bottom line is we need to just trust in God and have faith in his plans. Human plans are so myopic. We can only see what we know. God, on the other hand, has the whole picture, and if we trust in him, we will be part of the much bigger plan. (Certainty?)

Meanwhile, it is up to you and me to just trust and obey (hey that could be the title of a song). If we trust in God and believe that he knows best, then we can follow his directions.

Shalom my friends and I hope to see you in church.

Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.