New Year’s Eve Message

Song – Here I Am to Worship

Greeting and Prayer

Song – Ancient of Days

Special Music – Kayla Lacy

Sharing

Lessons or Goals (20 minutes)

Share something that God has challenged you with, caused growth in, something you have learned and grown in this past year.

OR

Share a goal you feel God prompting you with for 2026.

Song – All Glory to You

Video

As we consider another new year, I want to show a video. Some of you may remember if from a number of years back, but I personally always find this to be amazing…and it sets the tone and stage for the challenge I want to give for the upcoming year. So, let’s watch this and then before we dismiss tonight, I will come back and give a challenge to us for the new year.

The Created Cosmos (23 Minutes)

Challenge – Pastor Mike

(5-10 minutes – Just to tie everything back together)

Psalm 19:1 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

What is the purpose of creation?

To declare the Glory of God.

How does it do that?

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

It shows the invisible attributes of God.

What attributes does it show?

His Power

His creativity

His beauty (beauty of a creation reveals the beauty of the creator)

His intelligence (design)

His goodness (in how he supplies for each part of creation)

His care and precision

His attention to detail

Have you ever wondered why God made the universe so vast?

When you consider the video and the utter expanse of the universe, have you ever wondered why God made it so large?

We seem so small in light of it.

John Piper notes…

“The reason for ‘wasting’ so much space on a universe to house a speck of humanity is to make a point about our Maker, not us.”

Isaiah 40:26 ESV

26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

He goes on…

“The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this.”

Isaiah 43:6–7 ESV

6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

“To see it, to savor it, and to show it—that is why we exist. The untracked, unimaginable stretches of the created universe are a parable about the inexhaustible ‘riches of his glory’ (Romans 9:23). The physical eye is meant to say to the spiritual eye, ‘Not this, but the Maker of this, is the Desire of Your Soul.”

John Piper (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ)

The same truth could be made about ANY part of God’s creation.

When we see it and stand in wonder and awe of it…it is meant to draw our attention TO THE MAKER, not to the made.

This year, in 2026…as you learn to SEE and SAVOR Jesus, let HIS creation be the impetus for seeing Him more fully and savoring Him more richly.

The challenge, for myself, and one that I am challenging you with, is this…SEE Christ.

And as you SEE Him…

SAVOR HIM.

Sunday, I will be coming back to this theme and laying out the challenge more. BUT for tonight, I want to simply leave it at this…

May the vastness and enormity of God’s creation…

Along with the design, order, and beauty that we see…

Lead us to SEE and SAVOR Him more than ever before in our lives.

This is the challenge for 2026. For each of us.

Song – Good and Gracious King