Back To The Beginning

We gathered on a frigid winter morning in the warmth of God's house to end 2017 in worship to our Lord and Savior at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Special prayers were requested for Everly Wardlaw, Karen Hatfield and Mariah Blankenship.

Linda Abercrombie gave the New Year's Eve devotional, "Back to the Beginning," and read Psalm 106:1-3. We should embrace the new year with joy and thanksgiving. We can go into the new year with peace, patience and love if we will follow God's lead. This year, we should strive to be a peacemaker as we live in God's grace, mercy and love.

Tyrel Lett asked God's blessing upon the offering and he and Rick Lett served as ushers. We were blessed with special music from Jerry Abercrombie, who sang, "Mary, Did You Know." Karen Gardner and Becky Johnson led the congregational hymns.

"Getting a Do-Over" was the title of Brother Mark Hall's New Year's message with scripture from Luke 19:1-10, which tells the story of Zacchaeus. Brother Mark began by asking if there are times when you would love to just have a reset button.

"After you have messed something up so bad, wouldn't you love to just have a reset button and cancel what you did and just start over from square one? Do we wish life had a reset button so we could do-over some things? Sometimes, there are just things we wish we could go back and do over. Maybe, like starting over with the new year. There are no physical or financial do-overs, but there are spiritual do-overs. Zacchaeus was like that. After he saw Jesus, he was still short and still the tax collector, but he got saved and headed in the right direction. That direction can make all the difference in everything else we do. Zacchaeus didn't buy his way into heaven; he just became more concerned about others than himself. His job was still the same, but his destiny was different. He used his job to bring glory to God. A Christian farmer is still a farmer, but he is a saved farmer. His job didn't change, but his destiny did. His attitude changes because he trusts in God."

Brother Mark told us that "if you get any fruit, you have to go out on a limb just like Zacchaeus did to see Jesus. Lost people don't need our church buildings, our music, our wisdom or our sermons, they just need to see who Jesus is. God has set eternity in the hearts of man. "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Human beings are spiritual beings. Nothing worldly satisfies the soul. Only God can do that, and Jesus is the reset button. Happiness is what we bring each other, but true joy comes only from Jesus. As we begin 2018, remember that only Jesus can make the change in us and others. Allow Jesus to make that change in you for the new year!

Our hymn of invitation was "Where He Leads Me." Doug Cory gave the benediction.

We invite you to begin the new year in God's house next Sunday and worship with us at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Everyone is welcome. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and the worship service at 11 a.m.

We will have the Lord's Supper next Sunday morning and a business meeting next Sunday evening.

We wish everyone a blessed and happy 2018!

Religion on 01/04/2018