A New Year Blessing for the Journey Ahead

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Beloved family,

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We stand today on a thin line between what has been and what is yet to come. Behind us are months filled with laughter and loss, prayers answered and prayers still waiting. Ahead of us stretches a year we have not yet walked, unmarked pages, unwritten stories, days known fully only by God.

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And yet, we do not step forward alone.

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As the Lord instructed Moses to speak blessing over His people, so I speak this ancient and living word over you today:

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“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24–26

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May this blessing not remain words only, but become the rhythm of your days.
May it meet you in your kitchens on rushed mornings,
in your cars during long commutes,
in hospital rooms, classrooms, offices, and quiet evenings when the house finally grows still.

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The Lord bless you, not just with abundance, but with enough.
Enough strength for today.
Enough grace for the moment you’re in.
Enough faith to take the next step when the whole path isn’t clear.

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The Lord keeps you, when anxiety presses in, when old fears try to follow you into the new year, when exhaustion makes you forget how deeply you are loved.

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And the Lord give you peace, not the fragile peace of perfect circumstances, but the deep, steady peace of knowing you are held.

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Jesus reminds us what matters as we look ahead. He tells us, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). He is not dismissing our plans or dreams, He is calling us to trust. To live in the present. To walk with Him one day at a time.

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Jesus also says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Not because the past doesn’t matter, but because it does not define your future. Some of you are carrying regrets from last year. Some are holding grief. Some are still asking, “Lord, why?” Hear this gently: God is not finished with you. What lies ahead is not limited by what lies behind.

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And Jesus speaks hope over our future when He says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Full does not always mean easy, but it does mean meaningful. It means God at work in ordinary days, shaping hearts, restoring joy, and growing faith in ways we may not notice until we look back and see His fingerprints everywhere.

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So as we step into this new year, let us fix our eyes forward, not on resolutions we might break, but on a Savior who never fails. Let us look ahead with courage, not because the road is smooth, but because Jesus walks it with us.

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May this be a year where we listen more closely to His voice, love more generously, forgive more freely, and trust more deeply. May we become a people who shine with the quiet confidence of those who know whom they belong to.

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And as you go, may this blessing rest upon you:

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May God’s face shine upon your homes.
May His grace meet you in your weakness.
May His peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Step forward, church. The Lord goes before you.

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Rev. Alex Vargas

Pastor Of Saint Thomas More And Academy