Looking back on this past year, we feel a mix of emotions.  Some of us are rejoicing that 2016 is behind us; some of us are fighting fear in the face of a new beginning.  There were challenging seasons and moments of great joy.  But through it all, You never changed, Lord.   Your character remains the same and so regardless of the shifting nature of this world, we rejoice in Your faithfulness.   When life gave us hard things that we didn’t understand, we knew the depth of your goodness. When our bank account was low we knew the generosity of your provision. When the grief blindsided us with tears we…