We are well into “the year of our Lord, two thousand twenty three.” It is an old-fashioned way to state the date, but also a good reminder that each new year is “the year of our Lord.” There is nothing in this new year that the Lord is not prepared to help us face. No terror or tragedy that this year may bring is unanticipated by the sovereign Lord. This year will bring new blessings, new comforts, new opportunities, and new joys. This is indeed the year the Lord has established -- another year of the Lord’s favor. It is, however, a new year and that means some adjustment. It will take a while to put 2023 on checks and letters, if indeed you still send letters by snail mail, or still write checks instead of using electronic pay systems. Laws will change, new circumstances will emerge. Though we cannot anticipate all that the year 2023 will bring, we know that all our tomorrows, like all our yesterdays, rest in the Lord’s hands. So rejoice, people of God! Our God has never let us down in the past and He will not abandon us in the yet-unknown future. He is the faithful God whose mercies are new every morning. God is good, and because of His loving kindness, we will come to the end of 2023, having reason to proclaim “It was a good year!”