New Year message of getting our priorities and our hearts right before God for 2026.

We conclude our series by looking ahead, journeying with the Magi to acknowledge the ultimate authority of the One born in the cradle. This message focuses on the Crown, Christ’s ultimate Lordship, and the hope instilled by the knowledge that He is coming again. We are called to live as a kingdom of priests, serving the King whose coming brings order out of chaos and whose reign inspires our worship.

This message, intentionally placed between the profound reflection of Christmas and the dawn of a New Year, invites us to take a spiritual year-end inventory. We will look back, like Mary, and “treasure up all these things and ponder them in our hearts,” acknowledging God’s faithfulness throughout the past year. We will then look forward, pressing toward the future vision of the Crown and the high call of Christ Jesus, ensuring the eternal purpose of Christmas shapes our destiny and intentions in the year to come. The gift of Christmas, to be complete, must be received and fully utilized.

On the Sunday before Christmas, we focus on the radical, humble act of the Incarnation. God showed His love for humanity by sending Jesus to earth as a Baby, making Him the ultimate and Greatest Gift. This message highlights the miracle of the Light of the World coming into the darkness and reminds us that His love is the foundation for an unshakable confidence.

Christmas is fundamentally a time for reconciliation; that is, the work of God to reconnect us to Him. Just as we explored in Genesis, God desires to “close the gap” caused by sin, and through Christ, He has given us the ministry of peace to mend our fractured relationship with Him and with one another. We will explore how true joy comes from being made right with God and others.

Jesus is God incarnate, who came to us to be our Saviour. The entire reason for Christmas is the love of God, and the purpose of Christ's life was to bring salvation. “Life is short, death is sure. Sin the cause, Christ the cure.” We will reflect on the truth that the only cure for sin is the blood of Christ on the cross, a gift freely given by grace that we do not deserve and cannot repay (free to us, but at great cost to God). The Cradle and the Cross are two sides of the same promise.

The angelic announcement of “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” is our invitation to celebrate. Advent is first a time to celebrate that God loves us unconditionally, regardless of our performance or faults. This message will empower us to embrace the celebration of Immanuel: God is with us.

Joseph's final instructions to carry his bones out of Egypt serve as a powerful symbol of faith and hope. This act shows that "the offspring of Abraham now rightfully occupied the land of promise." This message challenges us to live purposefully, leave a lasting legacy of blessing and honour, and courageously pass the "baton" of faith to the next generation, preparing them to run their leg of the race with strength, vision, and adaptability.