Dear Saints of God in Christ Jesus, our Epiphany Lord and King,
Happy New Year! Welcome to the Year of our Lord Two-Thousand Eleven!
The hymn Now Greet the Swiftly Changing Year really puts into perspective how we as Christians enter a new calendar year, another year of God’s grace. It is another year of months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. It is another year set to the pulse of the life of the Church Year—Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, the Season after Pentecost. 2011 is another year that we live, love, and serve our neighbors in the name of Jesus Christ. May the Lord richly bless you and our congregation in this new year!
Pastor Coons
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896 NOW GREET THE SWIFTLY CHANGING YEAR
1 Now greet the swiftly changing year
With joy and penitence sincere.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
2 Remember now the Son of God
And how He shed His infant blood.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
3 This Jesus came to end sin’s war;
This Name of names for us He bore.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
4 His love abundant far exceeds
The volume of a whole year’s needs.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
5 With Him as Lord to lead our way
In want and in prosperity,
What need we fear in earth or space
In this new year of grace!
6 “All glory be to God on high,
And peace on earth!” the angels cry.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
7 God, Father, Son, and Spirit, hear!
To all our pleas incline Your ear;
Upon our lives rich blessing trace
In this new year of grace.
© 1969 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012380.
Lutheran Church of our Redeemer 