This is the final Word from the Pastor for 2025 as we don’t publish a newsletter on the last weekend of the year due to holidays. The church offices will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Our staff have worked hard at special Christmas gatherings, outreaches, benevolence and the release of volunteers. I’m so proud of our team and the new staff recently added are fitting in really well. I’m so grateful to God for how He is “moving the chess pieces” and how faithful He is. Thank you for your kind and generous staff love offering, we had a fantastic Christmas party. I wrote personal cards to each staff member and included your gift. If you haven’t had a chance to give, you can give throughout December.
On December 24 we’ll host five services at CLA, two here at the Langley Campus, at 4 & 6 pm. For sure, this is my favorite service of the year! It’s a one-hour candlelight service that is perfect for all five generations of CLA and your guests. Come. Build this into your Christmas rhythms. Let the celebration of Jesus be central to your celebrations. Enjoy the songs, Scripture, remembrance of Christ’s birth and reflection on the final woman of Christ’s genealogy, Mary.
As we begin to look toward 2026, I hope you’ll build into your spiritual discipline’s reflection, journalling and prayer. Ask yourself what were the top ten moments of 2025 and why? Where did you see God, how have you grown, what was your greatest disappointment, what was your greatest achievement? As you prayerfully consider the coming year, ask the Spirit to show you His plan, what are His goals for your mission and life?
Come join us for the 2026 Week of Prayer. It starts Sunday, January 4 in all campuses with the morning message and then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7pm. This year we are ending our week of prayer with a summit on Saturday January 10. Sign up here. You can come and be a part of as much of the day as time permits. It’s another opportunity for listening prayer, reflective journalling and silence before God. Solitude is a pathway to peace, to a focused and Christlike simplicity. One cannot have Christian depth without solitude and prayer. If you have not read John Mark Comer’s “Practicing the Way – Be with Jesus, Become like him, Do as he did” this might be a great season to pick it up for a good read. He also wrote a book called “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”.
May God bless your Christmas break, the early days of a new year, and may they be filled with much spiritual ponder. Slow down, love people, enjoy your soul and the worship of God.
