Beloved People of God,
As you read this, we are preparing to enter a new year and a new season of the church! Epiphany marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas and is always on January 6th. In our nativity scene, in the Gathering area, you may notice that we keep the camels and magi of the nativity set off to the side all through Advent, including Christmas Eve, and they don’t make their way on the scene until we celebrate Epiphany in worship.
Throughout Epiphany, we celebrate the fact that these wise ones followed a star. Because the image of the star is so significant to their journey, this year we will be offering a “Star Word.” Just as the magi followed a star long ago, we too can be guided by our “star word” for the coming year.
During worship we will invite you to randomly choose a star without knowing the word printed on the reverse side, as a metaphor to the Magi’s journey of discovery. Unsure of exactly what they would find, the Magi let the spirit guide them. Similarly, we will let the Spirit nudge you towards a word, allowing a star word to draw close to you! In this way, we are inviting you to receive God’s gift in the form of this word that can guide, inspire, and challenge us all in the coming year.
Once you have a star, you are invited to keep the star someplace special, somewhere you will see it throughout the coming year. Perhaps on the refrigerator, on the bathroom mirror, taped to the dashboard of the car, at work, or in your wallet peeking out … someplace seen regularly so it can serve as a guide.
For some, the word’s meaning will pop up right away. For others, the meaning may evolve throughout the year. For still others, there may be no immediate significance, but over the months meaning emerges.
I cannot wait to see how God will continue to be made manifest in this new year. I have no doubt God’s Word will be revealed in some exciting even surprising ways. I ask for your prayers and commitment as we continue to embody the call and shine the light of God’s love by helping all experience God’s love so they can grow to love like Christ. As we embody that mission, no doubt we will help proclaim God’s Word and reveal the light of Christ glory to the world.
See You Sunday,
Pastor Bruce
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