We are not conducting a New Year’s Eve Service, but…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Though we here at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine are not offering a New Year’s Eve service, I highly recommend the service being offered by Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach. They are advertising a service at 7:00 pm. Redeemer is a strong, confessional Lutheran congregation led by Rev. Dr. Daniel Harmelink and Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz. The address is 16351 Springdale Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92649.
As we enter into a new year, I pray the Lord’s richest blessings upon you in 2014. May all of our goals as individuals, families, and as a congregation be pleasing in the eyes of God and be beneficial to you and to those the Lord has called you to serve in your life. For myself, I pray that I would be a faithful child of God living in my baptism into Christ, that I may be a faithful husband, a faithful father, and a faithful pastor. I share this with you to encourage such “resolutions” that are pleasing to God.
Of course we have freedom in the Lord to choose other resolutions, just please be kind to yourself so that you do not place a yoke or burden on yourself that interferes with the sure knowledge that you are in Christ completely loved and cherished by the Heavenly Father. Let 2014 be a year in which we quite simply rejoice that because our sins are forgiven in Christ, we are enabled to live for God and therefore gladly live in Christ’s righteousness and view loving our neighbors as a wonderful opportunity to thank and praise God. Let us serve the Lord in faith, hope, and love in 2014!
In Jesus’ Love,
Pastor Espinosa