Today I stood in our sanctuary as the new metal roof was being delivered and surveyed the walls and ceiling, which have been stripped away down to the studs. Hope's sanctuary is under construction, because we discovered the flat roof sinking under the weight and vibration of our old air conditioning unit, where beam systems were not properly bolted together in 1966. The fix requires new heating and cooling, a new A-frame roof and removing damage from decades of leaking, which make this the perfect time to make esthetic and practical improvements. It is a time of necessity and possibility requiring our faith, creativity and shared stewardship in order to bring renewed life to a space in which we have been the Hope community for the past forty-five years, lifting up our worship, songs and prayers, preaching and hearing God's Word, baptizing, gathering as Hope Christian School, communing, confirming, marrying, and committing our loved ones to God's eternal care. Yes, we are entering Hope's Forty-fifth Anniversary in a grand and challenging way! News about how to participate will be coming to you soon!

All this time, we have been known in the community by our Anchor Cross, the ancient Christian symbol for "Hope." Standing in front of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, believed to be the site where our hope was born with the resurrection of our Savior Jesus, I was overjoyed to see the Anchor Cross incised in the exterior wall! Although the Hope Anchor Cross is not familiar to all, the witness of a cross that holds one secure while everything seems to be washing out to sea was understood by the early fishermen Jesus called as his disciples. The Anchor Cross has always appeared to me to be a cross with a smile on the bottom, an indicator that in Christ's grace, we have a promise that all is well. It has become our "brand," proclaiming our faith inside and outside our building, on Hope Christian School t-shirts, our letterhead, our baptismal font, our banners, worship appointments and even in the wording of our mission statement: "Anchored in Christ, growing in Faith, Love and Service." We have taken down the original sanctuary Hope Anchor Cross and now are seeking a fitting replacement. How would you portray our Hope?

We hope that one of your New Year's resolutions is to join us to worship Christ, the Giver of Hope, each Sunday at 8:30 or 10:45 AM or on Wednesdays at 7 PM. February 5th will be celebrated as Scout Sunday and Souper Bowl Sunday. We will be accepting donations and cans of soup for Open Door. The sermon will be "The Gift of Hope." February 12th, will be Youth Sunday. The Synod youth band, "Defined by Faith," will join us and our preacher will be Nicole Seitz. On February 19th, we will celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord, and the meditation will be "The Gift of Glory."

On Ash Wednesday, February 27th at 12:30 and 7:30 PM, we gather with repentance and faith in our hearts to receive a cross of ashes upon our foreheads and commune with Christ. Then on each Wednesday night in Lent at 7:30 PM, our worship will center around a thoughtful new book, Making Sense of the Cross, by The Rev. Dr. David Lose, in which the questions are as important as the responses given. Dr. Lose writes, "By the time we are done, you should not only understand what other Christians have said about the cross, but also what you believe about this central symbol and element of our faith. I look forward to exploring with you two thousand years of reflection about the cross and its place both in God's act of salvation and our daily lives." The book is available at church for $12.

Thanks so much to all who remembered me and our family with cards and gifts over the Christmas Season. We enjoyed hosting the congregation with an Open House last month. Thanks to those who were able to come on New Year's Day! I also appreciate your gift in my honor to a charity, given at Christmas. I added to this gift and divided it evenly between our sister church in Nkurenkuru in northern Namibia, Africa and tuition aid to our sister seminarian, Lauren Finnila. Bless you all for your kindnesses and encouragement.

Keep the Light of Hope in Christ shining, and be kind to one another,