New Year Greetings from the Moderator of the Free Churches Group
Happy New Year!
New Year Greetings in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
As we celebrate the final week of the Christmas season and approach Epiphany, may we recognise that we are summoned to be courageous followers of Christ in the midst of life’s uncertainty. Isaiah 60:1 tells us: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of God rises upon you”. The Magi journeyed with courage through uncertainty, guided by a light that drew them beyond comfort into discovery, reverence, and transformation (Matthew 2:1–12). Epiphany carries that same invitation for us.
This season opens a space for deep reflection: the kind of inner work where faith, honesty, healing, and courage meet. God shapes the heart quietly over time, yet the journey of faith always moves toward embodied living. The light of Christ does more than warm us; it forms us. It calls us to live with intention, to carry Christ’s compassion into public life, to mirror Christ’s grace in how we speak, act, lead, and serve.
Each of us carries a distinct story, a distinct calling, a distinct responsibility within community. Our lives will not unfold in uniform ways. The Spirit shapes unique actions, unique gifts, unique witness. Yet all of it serves God’s purpose among us: faith that honours truth, love that heals, justice that lifts, mercy that restores, hope that steadies communities and souls.
So as Epiphany unfolds, may this year become one of reflectiveness that leads to courageous living. May we recognise the light Christ brings to our lives and allow that light to guide our choices, align our commitments, and deepen our discipleship. May we live as people who reveal something of God’s presence through who we are and how we act.
“And all of us…seeing the glory of God as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed” (2 Corinthians 3:18). May this transformation move gently through our hearts and boldly through our lives.
Wishing us all God’s grace, courage, and blessings for the journey ahead,
Sincerely yours,
Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson
