news article
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez - Happy New Year
January 2, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
Happy New Year 2024!
I thank God for the countless blessings we received in 2023! I am also grateful for the faithful witness, ministry and generosity of UNY’s disciples, servant leaders and congregations. Together, we are making the love of Jesus Christ visible in meaningful ways in our neighborhoods and worldwide.
While last year we faced significant challenges and were introduced to new realities as a connectional body, God’s provision and guidance never failed us.
The New Year is an ideal time to clarify what we want to accomplish and set goals around our desired outcomes. In this season, the Spirit is urging us to prioritize strengthening our relationship with God and one another and to imagine renewed ways of being the church so that we can reach more and diverse people with the healing love of Jesus.
More than ever, as United Methodists, we need to seek a strong connection with our true vine, Jesus Christ, so that we can experience God’s greatness anew in our lives and ministries.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, once wrote, “My fear is not that our great movement, known as the Methodists, will eventually cease to exist or one day die from the earth. My fear is that our people will become content to live without the fire, the power, the excitement, the supernatural element that makes us great.”
As we move forward in the new year, my prayer and hope for all United Methodists is that we (re)claim the fire, power, excitement and the supernatural element of our faith.
To do so, like Wesley, I dare to suggest that:
- We must not become content. In humility, we need to confess the ways we have fallen short of living the way of Christ. How we may have neglected our relationship with the living God and the people God calls us to love and serve – which is not the same as “doing church” or “religion”. The moments we may have settled for “good enough” when God deserves our best. The ways we have insisted on doing things “our way” or “the way it has always been done” when our context have drastically changed.
- We must stay joined to Jesus understanding that growing in knowledge, experiences and outward expressions of the love of God in Jesus Christ is our most faithful response to the grace we constantly receive from God. The Holy Spirit is God with us today and it is only in the power and lead of the Spirit that we can live the promises of Christ and share them with others.
- We must continuously seek the wellbeing of all our neighbors by sharing the good news of Christ through words and concrete acts of love, mercy, compassion, justice and reconciliation.
This month, I encourage all UNY congregations to set a Sunday apart to experience Wesley’s Covenant Renewal Service as a public witness of our faith and shared longing for renewal. Also, in 2024, let’s continue journeying together in prayer as we navigate through uncharted waters, discern God’s will for this season and make important decisions about our shared ministry in UNY and The United Methodist Church. You can learn more and join our prayer pilgrimage here.
In a world plagued with individualism, toxic politics, divisions, hatred, violence and hopelessness, may UNY disciples and congregations dare to be countercultural and embody Christ’s love, unity and hope.
In the new year, may our prayer be:
“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
I look forward to all God will do this year as we experience Christ anew and continue living the gospel and being God’s love with our neighbors in all places - together.
Peace,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodist of Upper New York