Weekend Of Rest | 2024 Reflections with Chris Schlotterbeck

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you're finding time to spend with family and

friends over the holidays.

I'm so thankful that you chose to join us this morning as we share on our weekend of

rest.

A couple of quick announcements to get started.

HCV will be serving hot cocoa once again this year at the Crumpies Donut Drop.

The location of the event has changed to the new Boxcar Stadium in downtown Hagerstown.

If you and your family would like to join us in serving hot cocoa, please just show

up between 5 and 5.30, find the two tables where HCV will be serving with our tents and

join us in just blessing our community.

At the beginning of this broadcast, you worship to one of the songs from our community worship

night that we had back in October.

We have scheduled our next community worship night for this coming Saturday, January 4th,

beginning at 6 p.m.

This will be a great way to kick off the new year, to gather together, not only with our

community of faith, but with other churches to worship and celebrate all that Jesus is

going to do this coming year.

I hope to see you there.

Now on to our end of the year reflections.

At HCV, we believe that God is constantly moving within our community of faith, not

just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week in our lives.

2024 was an incredible year for our community of faith, but we believe God has so much more

in store for us in 2025.

This happens when we collectively as the church self-reflect on where we've been, where we're

going and what God wants to do in our life.

So I want to encourage you, grab a notepad, grab your journal, grab your Bible, whatever

it may be, and allow God to speak to you through these five simple questions.

And that leads us to our first one.

What is one area of growth that you see for yourself from a year ago?

Be honest with yourself.

How have you changed from a year ago?

Maybe you've become more patient.

Maybe your relationship with your spouse has improved.

Maybe you've become more passionate in your love for Jesus and have shared your story

with many.

Maybe you're not as angry as you were a year ago, or maybe you've overcome a habit or an

addiction that has been hurting you.

Whatever it is, this should be a natural process for a follower of Jesus.

Second Corinthians 3, 18 says, so all of us who have had the veil removed can see and

reflect the glory of the Lord.

And the Lord who is the Spirit makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His

glorious image.

See, God desires that we become more and more like Jesus every single day.

This happens with a growth mindset where we look at our lives and reflect on the change

that we have made in this past year.

Philippians 1, 6 says this, and I am certain that God who began a good work within you

will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

See, that encourages us that the Holy Spirit is empowering us to constantly change and

further reflect Jesus, which leads us to our next question.

What is one change that you want to achieve for yourself in 2025?

Second Peter 1, 3 says, by His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living

a godly life.

We have received all this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means

of His marvelous glory and excellence.

For example, God has challenged me to view people, all people, as He sees them this year.

This would help me to be more patient, to extend more grace, and to truly love people

as I love myself.

Maybe for you, it's your finances or your temper or your marriage.

Maybe it's to begin serving in our community of faith or in the local community.

Whatever it is, my challenge to you is be open to the Holy Spirit speaking to you this

morning.

Second Peter chapter 1, verses 5 through 8 says, in view of all this, make every effort

2 Peter 1:5–8

to respond to God's promises.

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence and moral excellence with

knowledge and knowledge of self-control and self-control with patient endurance and patient

endurance with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection

with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of

our Lord Jesus Christ.

Challenge yourself to grow and change this coming year, which leads us to our third question.

What was one difficult thing that God walked you through last year?

You may be thinking, Chris, why would I focus on that?

Why would I focus on pain or a heartache or an illness?

Well, because Jesus was walking with you through it every step of the way.

And I believe that we need to extend gratitude to God for being there with us.

James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4 says, dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of

James 1:2–4

any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has chance to grow.

So let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete

needing nothing.

Yes, it may be painful, but when we acknowledge and thank God that he is with us in us and

working through us, then the next time a trial comes or a difficulty comes our way, we can

be joyful in the midst of it, which leads us to our next question.

What is one area of your life that you need wisdom?

It could be a decision about your job, your family, your finances or your habits.

Maybe it's as simple as setting a goal for you to change in your attitude.

James 1 5 says, if you need wisdom, ask your generous God and he will give it to you.

He will not rebuke you for asking whatever area of your life that you need wisdom.

Why not go to God who provides all wisdom, all knowledge and all understanding.

He loves you, cares for you and desires to speak to your heart, which leads us to our

final question.

Who is someone you can be praying for this year?

Friends, this is a great way to love on those who are in our sphere of influence.

Maybe it's a friend who is struggling with a relationship.

Maybe it's a family member who is struggling in addiction.

Pray that God invades their life and changes their outlook.

Remember, one invite can change someone's eternity.

If there is a friend or family member that is not in a relationship with Jesus, start

praying for them right now.

Start today and extend it throughout the year because when we do, we live out Galatians

chapter six, verses two through three.

Share each other's burdens and in this way, obey the law of Christ.

If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.

You are not that important.

HCV, I love you.

I appreciate you and I'm thankful for each and every one of you.

2024 was an incredible year for our community of faith.

We saw God do so many amazing things, but I believe 2025 will be even better.

I am praying for you, your family, as we enter into this new year, that God would invade

your life and give you opportunities to serve the greater community with the love of Jesus.

God bless you guys.

I look forward to connecting with you at the doughnut drop or at the community worship

night or next Sunday as we kick off the new year together.

Have a wonderful day.