Let Love Lead the Way

A New Year Begins With Love

The calendar page turns, and we stand with anticipation at the threshold of another year — a fresh chapter waiting to be written. In quiet moments of reflection, when we look back at what has been and forward to what might be, there is one truth that anchors us: God’s love never changes. “We love because he first loved us,” 1 John 4:19 reminds us.

As we step into this new year, we carry with us not just resolutions and hopes, but the transformative power of divine love that calls us to action. Love is certainly a hallmark of Christianity and of our purpose as Salvationists. This is why it features in our mission statement for the territory; we are called to Love, Serve, and Disciple those around us.

Love That Transforms

Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle, one of The Salvation Army’s greatest holiness teachers, understood this profound truth when he taught that holiness is pure love — a baptism of love that transforms every aspect of our being and brings us into perfect sympathy with Christ’s work to bring a lost world back to God.

Throughout the past year, The Salvation Army has witnessed countless moments where love changed everything. We saw it in our corps when newcomers were welcomed into the family of God. We heard it in the laughter of children discovering they weren’t forgotten at Christmas. And it was evident when you visited nursing homes, the incarcerated, and the lonely. These moments weren’t accidents. They were love made visible — your love, our love, God’s love working through willing hands and open hearts. The apostle Paul understood this when he wrote to the Corinthians: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love,” (1 Corinthians 13:13). In a world that often feels divided and uncertain, love remains our greatest strength and our clearest calling.

The Year Ahead

William Booth once reminded his Army to encourage growth in the spirit of faith and love toward both God and humanity. As we move into this new year, the needs around us haven’t diminished. If anything, they call us to even more urgently share the Good News! It is time for every Salvationist to rise up in the name of our risen Savior, to be light in the darkness and a beacon of hope and joy to the lost and dying. Here’s the beautiful truth: we serve a God whose love is inexhaustible. “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness,’” (Jeremiah 31:3). This everlasting love doesn’t just sustain us — it propels us forward.

Our Invitation

Jesus gave us the most profound challenge and invitation when he said, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another,” (John 13:34). As we love one another, as we love unconditionally, this new year becomes more than just another turn of the calendar; it becomes an opportunity to reflect Christ’s heart to our communities. It becomes a chance to be his hands and feet in practical, tangible ways.

Moving Forward Together

So let us begin this year not with fear or hesitation, but with love leading the way. Let us be bold in our compassion, generous in our service, and unwavering in our commitment to Kingdom values and principles. For “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them,” (1 John 4:16). As we move into this new year, let us do so rooted in this eternal truth: love never fails. It doesn’t give up. It doesn’t grow weary. It persists, it heals, it transforms. May this year be marked by love — the kind of love that changes lives, restores hope, and reflects the very heart of Jesus. The new year is here. Let love lead the way.