We are officially back to our regular schedule! Our youth are having a baptism on Wednesday night! And, we started John’s Gospel on Sunday mornings! After our first kickstarter meeting last night, I am really excited about what 2026 holds for Alex Southern Baptist Chapel–while we honor the traditions of the church and begin forming new ones!
I know things never stay the same. I know how change sometimes comes across like a bad word. There are new people. Different things begin to happen. They may be like what was done in the past, but it’s never the same. I know, there is nothing truly new under the sun. From our perspective things don’t stay the same. God created a beautiful and dynamic world that ebbs and flows. A new year comes and everything before it is no more. This truth that is exciting for some is terrifying for others. Then, we think about our own sanctification. One of the great promises in Scripture is that we will not remain the same. We are being conformed to Christ’s image. God is completing the good work He started in each of us and in the church as a whole. If things always stay the same, that’s a bad sign. It means regression instead of progress in our spiritual walk. At the same time, we don’t change simply for the sake of changing or because there is a new sensational thing. The new testament is clear.
24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Considering how to do something means dreaming and planning new things regularly. It may mean doing something differently. Notice that the purpose isn’t to attract more people or to keep up with the culture. God doesn’t care about that. Christianity is more substantial than the fads of worldly societies. It’s also not about raising ourselves up. God did not design the church as a platform for any one person to be in charge or recognized. The purpose is to encourage one another in love and good deeds so that God’s people may draw nearer to Him–raise others up because we consider others to be more important than ourselves. When we do something new, or when we do something we have done a different way, our purpose is always to get better at lifting one another up rather than exalting ourselves.
From Good Friday services to Christmas Eve game nights, from Sunday evening discipleship to egg hunts and participation in community events, our motivation is always to raise up one another and others in our community so we all may draw nearer to the Lord in light of His day.
We’ll be talking a lot about that as we plan many of the events we put on the calendar for the year. Here are some exciting things to look forward to in 2026:
- Men’s breakfast is back!
- Special worship services for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter
- Women’s Bible study
- Sunday Night Discipleship
- Special Christmas Program
- Fifth Sunday Potlucks and Youth-Led Services
- and more…
As we begin John’s Gospel, we are also remembering the basics of the faith. John was a Jew writing in a Hellenistic context to a direct audience in Ephesus and beyond. His gospel is the most palatable for modern Western Civilization but also profoundly based on Old Testament thought–bridging modern Eastern and Western worlds; the Jewish and Greek worlds of the First Century. As we look to John’s Gospel in the coming weeks and months, we will see how the Word became flesh, dwelt among people, and gave His life as a ransom for many. Just like the voice of God sacrificed the first lamb after Adam’s sin, so the Lamb of God would be sacrificed for the sin of the world. Everyone is invited to join us on Sunday mornings as we take an in depth look at John’s Gospel verse-by-verse. Subscribe to this website to receive daily devotionals through John’s Gospel as well. I know. Going verse-by-verse will take some time–especially if I can only cover two verses like I did yesterday. We will take breaks intermittently to enjoy special days throughout the year. Let me encourage you to enjoy the depth, not only the breadth of Scripture. That’s one thing that will make ASBC different as we move forward because there aren’t a lot of church pulpits exploring the depth of Scripture–merely its breadth. I believe if we explore the depth, the breadth will take care of itself.
Many of you are also starting new Bible reading plans with the New Year. I want to encourage you on another note. It is okay if you aren’t able to keep up with a reading plan or read the whole Bible in a year’s time. In fact, if you follow a yearly Bible reading plan, you will only get a surface level reading of the text. You won’t have time to reflect and explore the depth you find there. Some people need a surface level reading. Others need depth. I find that the longer I have been in relationship with Jesus, the more time I need for a couple verses. There is no way I can read the Bible in a year and still get the nutrients I need as a follower of Jesus. It is okay to take your time instead of keeping up with a plan. I certainly want your relationship with Jesus to be deepened in 2026. I am always available to you when you have questions about the text. Simply text me anytime. If you need my phone number, see me on Sunday.
2026 is going to be an exciting year as we seek after Christ together. As we move through the year, may we remain humble, seek quality over quantity, always lift one another toward the throne of grace, and see God’s kingdom come and will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
Alex Southern Baptist Chapel 
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