Editor’s Note: This column was written the week before the new year.
Community, it’s amazing how fast time seems to fly. The year 2025 is gone. It has been a year of changes, transitions and experiences — some sadness, some gladness; some growing up, some major moves, major adjustments; some tears, some broken pieces; some new births into the world; others took their flight from the world. For some, we’ve drawn closer to God and to each other; others are catching up; yet for others, it’s the same old, same old — nothing changes, nothing moves them. This year, prison doors flew open, with new converts joining them every day.
The young people we lost to senseless deaths — their futures ripped away from them — will never have children or get married. Senseless. They could have still been here. Our bodies changed; spiritual changes occurred; and the question, “Did we make spiritual progress?” is the greatest question we all need to ask ourselves. Did we move forward? Did we advance in 2025? Did we draw closer to God, and what did we do for the kingdom?
At church, we did our best through Community Day Outreach to reach the lost — and heaven was pleased. In the love of Christ, we opened our doors to the needy. Through preaching, teaching and Sunday church school, we kept sound doctrinal teaching in front of our people and others, exploring subjects relevant to today. Our street ministry team has been faithful in obeying the command of Christ, taking the gospel to the world and the community to win lost sinners to Christ. This year, 2025, we celebrated our 100th church anniversary, a milestone.
New members graced us this year. Souls were saved and baptized. So many started out with us this year; some didn’t make it here today — and we can call them by name. We all have our moments and reflections, but God has been good all year long, in spite of it all. We’re at the airport today, getting ready to take flight from 2025. And like any airport, you’re only allowed to take so much baggage with you. Too much weight can affect the flight of the plane, and if you bring more baggage than is allowed, you must pay an extra price.
Community, some things need to be settled right here and right now before we cross over into 2026. There is certain baggage we need to leave right here — baggage we are not going to carry on our flight into 2026 — because if we do, we will pay a hefty price for the extra baggage. You may also experience a delay in your flight, or it may be canceled altogether.
If God is gracious, 2026 could be the year that Christ comes back for his church — or at the least, he could come back for you and me. We just don’t know. We made mistakes this year. We had failures this year. We were hurt this year. We sinned this year. Some are holding on to something somebody did to them this year. Some are in relationships with a man or woman that is toxic. We fell short this year — and if we don’t get rid of it, it will become baggage.
God wants us to fly in 2026, but we can’t fly with excess baggage. Some things we’ve got to leave right here. Moses speaks to the people of Israel as they are about to enter the long-awaited Promised Land. Notice that God did not just let them enter or waltz right into the Promised Land without conditions. Community, sometimes we try to put old wine into new bottles — that won’t work. We try to sew old rags into new garments — that won’t work. We want to take old habits, old baggage into a new year — that won’t work. Year after year with the same old — but God is calling us to make some decisions now before we cross over into a new year.
Moses said, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed shall live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). God gives them a choice.
Community, life is all about choices. There are people this morning living miserable lives because of choices they made. Some men or women are suing their husband, wife or their children’s parent, saying they are no good — when they chose them to marry or have children with. Choices. Some are behind bars, in prison, on death row; in the hospital in intensive care; drinking themselves to death; paying child support; walking with a limp; with no teeth in their mouth — all because of choices they made. In everything, choices have consequences, good or bad.
We are called this day to make a choice. If we want the favor of God in our lives, then to everything that was bad in 2025, say goodbye and let it die. Been hurt in 2025? I hear you, I understand — but say goodbye, let it die. Pain in 2025? I know you’re hurting — but the only way to be blessed is to say goodbye, let it die. Betrayal, unforgiveness — don’t go into ’26 unfixed. Say goodbye, let it die. Sins you’ve confessed but still feel guilty about — quote 1 John 1:9, then say goodbye, let it die. Failures and faults — quit beating yourself up. Get up. Say goodbye. Let it die. Let it die in 2025.
Draw close to God, and he will draw close to us. Let’s not take old baggage into 2026. Everything bad in 2025 — say goodbye and let it die.