Dear friendsHappy new year! I pray you have been able to find space and time to enjoy Christmas, although it seems as though so many households were impacted by the cold / flu bug, as well as those suffering with covid, that you may have just needed to recover. I further pray that for those of you for whom this new year is not "happy", you will find a sense of peace with whatever you are experiencing.As I prayed this morning, my first thought as I brought our parish before God, as I do each day, was "how I love the people of this place!". And it is true. As I reflect on the huge numbers of people of all ages and all levels of faith that we have encountered over the last few weeks, either those that came through the church doors, those I've visited in schools, and those who we delivered the precious Christmas hampers and Christmas gifts to, I am filled with a sense of such blessing that we are part of the community here together. I'm so thankful for all those who have participated in these things, those who have used their hands, feet, voices, prayers, and everything in between, to enable us to be the church for this parish.So what will a new year bring? We are about to celebrate the Epiphany, where at the end of a journey, something unexpected and out of the ordinary revealed God in a new way. I wonder if this might be something we hope for or even expect in our journeys through life? Equally, as we are living in such uncertain times, there is a danger that we live with a narrative of fear - will we have enough to get us through a cold winter? I wonder if we might be intentional about being people of certain hope in the midst of this uncertainty? We may also be wanting to make a resolution for how we will be this year - in our physical, emotional or spiritual wellbeing. I wonder what that might look like for you, and how you might share that with someone who can help you get there?One thing is for sure, as we journey through 2023 we will continue to be the church for the parish of Knowle; for the 7500 people who live here, and that includes you and it includes me. We need to be encouraged, equipped and enabled in our faith lives, to be expectant, hopeful and resolute that our creator God is continuing to create, that our saviour Jesus is continuing to save, and that the work of the Holy Spirit is continuing to bring light, life and love to a searching world.You are welcome and invited to be part of worship this weekend - at 8.30am on Sunday have Holy Communion, and then at 10.30am it's Cafe Church, where we will be exploring these themes further.I look forward to continuing the journey with you.God blessBecky