Remember God's Faithfulness and Embrace New Beginnings

A clear call rises to remember the concrete faithfulness of God and let that memory shape the future. Stories of providence in lean college days and a daughter spared despite dire prenatal diagnoses stand beside Isaiah’s summons to “tell of the kindness of the Lord.” Israel’s history reveals a sobering pattern—devotion, drift, disobedience, crisis, repentance, rescue—and that pattern still repeats in human hearts. Yet mercy and grace remain steady. The advent of Jesus—Emmanuel, God with us—fulfills God’s promise to lift up a people who cannot save themselves and anchors hope beyond changing circumstances.

From that foundation, gratitude becomes a practice, not a sentiment. Looking back creates spiritual alignment, slows restless forward hurry, and renews trust in who God has already shown himself to be. The past year at CT made “new beginnings” more than a phrase: emerging young leaders filled the sanctuary in Exalt gatherings, students sustained a thriving youth ministry through leadership transitions, and global mission partnerships advanced—from stocking a chicken barn in Africa to supporting Hope Renews’ land purchase for sustainable work among refugees and farmers. These snapshots do not celebrate human capacity; they magnify divine faithfulness working through willing people.

Looking ahead to 2026, the community is invited to seek God first through prayer and fasting. Fasting is acknowledged as challenging yet deeply formative, an embodied way to hunger for God above lesser attachments. Strategic initiatives continue as acts of love for neighbor: revitalizing the accessibility and lobby expansion to remove barriers to worship, advancing plans for a seniors housing complex to meet real community needs, and multiplying ministries that touch everyday life. The year will also press outward in evangelistic hospitality, building on outreach like the Halloween parking lot party that welcomed more than 1,200 neighbors.

Gratitude for volunteers and givers marks the end of the year, not as a budget line but as worship—time, prayer, tithes, and offerings aligning hearts with God’s mission to love God and love people. With hands over hearts, the congregation is led to thank God for past mercies and to trust him in advance for the miracles already in motion. The invitation is simple and weighty: remember God’s deeds, return to him again, and step into the coming year with expectant dependence.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Practice remembrance of God’s kindness Remembering specific provisions strengthens present trust. Naming the ways God acted in the past trains the soul to expect his character to remain the same tomorrow. This is not nostalgia; it is theological clarity anchored in history. Tell of his kindness until fear loses its voice. [11:38]
• 2. Confront the cycle; return to God The human heart still repeats Israel’s pattern—devotion, drift, and desperate cries for rescue. Repentance is not a reset button but a reorientation of love, habits, and allegiance. Consequences can linger, yet mercy restores relationship and renews obedience. Honest self-examination is how cycles break. [13:22]
• 3. Christ’s advent secures enduring mercy Emmanuel is God’s decisive answer to human unfaithfulness. In Jesus, promises to lift and save are fulfilled for Israel and extended to the world. Hope is no longer fragile optimism but communion with the One who came near. Presence, not circumstances, becomes the ground of peace. [13:43]
• 4. Gratitude realigns trust and courage Looking back with thanksgiving slows anxious striving and recenters identity in God’s work, not personal performance. Gratitude clarifies who God is and who we are before him, loosening the grip of control. Courage grows when memory testifies that faithfulness is not hypothetical. Thanksgiving becomes fuel for obedience. [14:37]
• 5. Begin with prayer and fasting Fasting is embodied prayer—hunger that makes space for God’s voice. It exposes subtle dependencies and forms a community that seeks God first, not as an accessory but as necessity. Starting the year this way is a declaration of dependence and a preparation for guidance. Abstaining becomes participating in God’s pace. [20:34]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:47] - Remembering God’s provision
• [11:38] - Isaiah: tell of the Lord’s kindness
• [12:56] - Israel’s cycle and our own
• [13:43] - Grace arrives: Emmanuel, God with us
• [14:28] - Practicing remembrance and gratitude
• [15:40] - Prophetic word: “New Beginnings”
• [16:05] - Young leaders and Exalt
• [17:29] - Youth ministry rises in transition
• [18:20] - Leadership changes and mission focus
• [19:30] - Global missions: Hope Renews and more
• [20:34] - First Things First: prayer and fasting
• [21:38] - Accessibility, lobby, and seniors vision
• [23:45] - Prayer for 2026 and generosity

1. In Isaiah 63:7-9, what words or phrases describe God’s character and actions? Who is being helped, and how?
2. Two specific stories of provision were shared—a box of groceries in lean college days and a daughter spared after dire diagnoses. What details stand out to you in those stories? [10:47]
3. How is Israel’s repeating pattern described (devotion, drift, disobedience, crisis, repentance, rescue)? What does God do each time? [12:56]
4. What concrete plans were named for seeking God first at the start of the year? [20:34]

1. When Isaiah chooses to “tell of the kindness of the Lord” while the people are facing consequences, what does that teach about how memory fuels repentance and hope? (Isaiah 63:7-9)
2. If the heart keeps repeating the cycle of drift and return, what loves or habits might be driving that cycle, and what would reorientation look like, not just a quick reset? [13:22]
3. “Emmanuel—God with us” means presence becomes the ground of peace more than changing circumstances. How could this shift the way someone prays about a hard situation they cannot fix? [13:43]
4. Fasting is called embodied prayer that exposes subtle dependencies. What kinds of dependencies might God surface, and how could that shape decisions in January? [20:34]

1. Make a short “faithfulness list.” Name 2–3 specific ways God carried you in 2025 (provision, protection, guidance). How will you “tell of his kindness” to someone this week—text, journal, family prayer? [11:38]
2. Where are you right now in the devotion–drift–repentance–rescue cycle? What is one concrete step of return you can take in the next 48 hours (confession to a friend, changing a habit, setting a boundary)? [12:56]
3. Do you tend to rush to “what’s next”? Choose one practice to slow down and give thanks each day this week (set a daily reminder, pray before email, take a gratitude walk). What time of day will you try it? [14:28]
4. Plan your fast. What kind of fast will you try (meal, media, sugar, sunrise-to-sunset)? For how many days? What specific prayer focus will you hold before the Lord? Who will you invite to do it with you for encouragement? [21:06]
5. Hospitality as mission: Who are two neighbors or coworkers you can welcome this month for coffee, a meal, or an event? What simple step will you take to initiate the invite this week? [22:45]
6. Where could you align your giving and serving with God’s mission—tithes, offerings, time, or prayer? Is there a next step with accessibility/lobby, seniors housing, youth, or global partners like the chicken barn or Hope Renews? [21:38]
7. Put a hand over your heart and thank God in advance for one specific miracle you need in 2026. What would taking a small step of faith toward that look like this week? [24:16]