2023!  It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into a new year.  2022 has come and gone.  Out of curiosity, I went and looked up what I wrote to you at this time last year.  This is what I said, “Wow, by the time we meet again it will be the New Year.  And we all want 2022 to be a lot more hopeful (and less stressful) than the past few years.  But who knows?  Well, God does.”  So then I went back one more year, and here’s what I wrote for the first service of 2021, “Well, it’s a new year.  2020 has come and gone, but in its wake, it has left behind a legacy of uncertainty and confusion, doubt for many, and despair for some.”

Apparently, each year I’m glad to get that year over with.  I wish I could say the last few years were the exception … but they probably weren’t.  Aside from health issues, one of the most common concerns I’ve heard in this last year is the concern over friends and family members who have wandered away from the faith … and how much it hurts … and how much they just want it to be over with.

So, it’s timely that we’re starting a new sermon series for the month of January entitled: “Coming Home: Bringing Back the Wanderer.”  The theme verse for this series will be James 5:19-20, which I encourage you to read in advance.  By now, you’re already thinking of that person in your life who has wandered away from the church, from the family, and from the faith.  I’m sorry to bring the hurt back up, but James has some good words for us.

So, let’s look at what the Bible has to say about wanderers … about how we can pray … and about what we can do.  Because the stakes are high and just maybe,  2023 might be the year of restoration for the wanderer in your life.  I hope it is.  See you Sunday, Dr. Dave