MESSAGE from ARCHBISHOP SIMON POH
“Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” (Isaiah 46:4)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Welcome to 2023. This month in January we celebrate 1 January, the calendar New Year, and on 22 January, the Lunar New Year.
Every new year signifies the end of a past year and the desire for a new and fresh beginning. After three years of pandemic, we have great hopes that these seasons—Christmas and Lunar New Year—will bring about a fresh beginning for the economy and a return to the life before the pandemic. Let our hearts be filled with GRATITUDE & HOPE.
We are grateful to be ALIVE with churches being reopened, travel and economies recovering slowly. In a way, we are the generation that has lived through and survived this unprecedented pandemic. Let these lessons remain with us:
• When people are in need, we can work together to help alleviate suffering.
• We are all one large human family that needs to give a helping hand to each other.
• From our lockdown experience, we have learnt that we can live a simpler and less materialistic lifestyle.
• Families are important fabrics of our social networks, and we need to treasure one another especially the elderly and our grandparents.
• We are now appreciating homecooked meals.
• We are grateful and have adapted to technology to pray and keep in touch with our loved ones.
My heart goes out to families who have lost loved ones during the last three years. The fact that we are here today means that no matter how bad the situation had been, we have already survived these tough periods.
Though it may still be challenging, let us enter the new year 2023 with HOPE.
In GRATITUDE, we thank our Lord Jesus for accompanying us. He is Emmanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us.
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
When we have Jesus, we have what we need to face any difficult day ahead. Our Lord will always walk with us. He will carry us to safety. (Isaiah 46:4)
For 2023, I would like to express my wish and blessing for each, taken from the book of Numbers. With the words that Moses had used to bless his people, I pray for you and your family:
“May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
(Numbers 6:24-26)
Blessings and prayers for New Year 2023
