And let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. – Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB)
As the year draws to a close, I am reflecting on our community at New Hope. What a year we have had! Our ministries are a testament to the many people looking to grow closer in their relationship with God and with each other. Our community is certainly strengthened by these relationships. As 2025 wraps up, many of us may be reflecting alone – quietly tallying joys and losses, victories and disappointments. Scripture, however, invites us to do something different: to look back together.
The story of God’s people has always been communal. From the Israelites remembering God’s faithfulness through shared feasts and stories to the early church breaking bread in one another’s homes, faith was never meant to be a solo journey. We were created to remember God’s goodness with one another.
This year, we have carried each other – through celebrations and through seasons of grief, uncertainty, and change. Some moments were loud with joy; others were held in quiet faithfulness. Yet in all of it, God has been present among us. Not just in individual lives, but in the spaces between us – in prayers prayed together, meals shared, hands held, and burdens lifted.
As we look back, I pray we continue to name God’s faithfulness out loud, as many of you did on Testimony Sunday in church yesterday. While all glory is given to God, I pray, too, that we thank one another for showing up, even imperfectly and that gratitude knits us even more deeply together, reminding us that we are better and stronger when we walk this road together.