If you received clothing for Christmas, it looks like January is doing its best to give you an opportunity to wear every new item of clothing you received. A heavy coat, scarf, and knitted hat? You should get an opportunity to wear them this next weekend and several days after that. New fl ip-flops, sleeveless blouses, and shorts bought from the clearance sections of on-line catalogs: January has provided some days for you to wear those, too. New ties for Christmas? Well, unless you are the church pastor, that may not happen no matter what the weather does.

January isn’t as filled with events to attend as December was, and it is nice to have a bit of a slowdown. This makes it a good time to remind everyone of the days and times when our church services are held. Sunday School begins at 9:45 and ends at 10:45. Sunday morning Worship service begins at 11:00 and ends at around 12:00. Sunday night services begin at 5:00, and Wednesday night Prayer Services begin at 6:30. If you are looking for a church home or if you want to visit, you will certainly be made welcome.

The Fellowship meal is scheduled for after the morning services this coming Sunday. Also, if you haven’t been to hear the Singing Church Women’s concert already, you can hear them sing on January 24^th beginning at 7:00 at the Broadway Baptist Church in Sand Springs.

This Sunday Joyce Searcy sang “Jesus Didn’t Throw the Clay Away” as the special music selection. Our Creator shape us into the vessel that He needs us to be. Sometimes the process gets sabotaged, but isn’t it wonderful that Jesus doesn’t just throw us away? If we trust Him, He forms us and reforms us into a vessel that makes the best use of the clay from which we are being formed.

Rev. Brown’s sermon was titled “Yesterday’s Anointing Won’t Do” and was based in 1 Samuel 16:1. God had rejected Saul and his lineage as kings of Israel. Samuel mourned this, and finally God told him to quit mourning the past and to anoint a new king.

Saul had been rejected because he lived to satisfy his own needs and wants. God was releasing Samuel and Israel from Saul’s tyranny and wanted him to anoint a king, David, who put God fi rst and could provide a better framework for governing the nation of Israel.

God has something new for us, too. Constantly celebrating the past, or mourning and regretting past failures can get in the way of new opportunities and experiences. God had a plan and strategy for Samuel and David, and He has a new plan and strategy for each of us today.

Samuel was fearful of Saul, but he stepped out in faith and went to Bethlehem to find Jesse and his family as God had told him. As each of Jesse’s sons was presented to Samuel, he hoped that young man would be the one, but God said no until they fi nally brought the youngest—David—in from herding sheep in a far-off pasture.

David was a man of integrity, and God told Samuel that David was the one He was to anoint as the new king so Samuel poured the anointing oil over him. It was the beginning of amazing changes in David’s life.

God has something new for each of us, too. We need to get in step with God’s plan and look forward to the new year and the new opportunities that await us.