At the beginning of a new year, I’m especially grateful that we get to pause, set our tone, and ground ourselves in our mission statement: With God’s help, we embrace and connect with all people, and together experience the love, light, and hope of Jesus Christ.

Last week, I was pretty sick, and I’m so thankful that Rick was able to step in and cover for me as we focused on the theme of love. He even called me “confetti,” which I absolutely loved. It made me smile—and it also got me thinking.

Because no matter how loud the world’s hatred may seem, it’s never louder than love. Love always rises. Love always remains. And love, especially the love of Christ, continues to break through in ways we may not even realize at first.

Passage: John 1:9-14 CEB