A Holy Shift

I felt drawn to this focus for Epiphanytide because I see how so many of us are sinking into identities that are not ours to claim. Epiphany is about light, awareness, learning, growing, and sharing. Epiphany, for me, is a journey that aways leads to a deeper awareness of God.

So, how did we get so far off course? How did answering the question, “Who is to blame?” become more important than, “Who is my neighbor?” How will we make the shift from blame to hospitality? From fear to friendship? From pain to joy? How we will live into our true identity in Christ when there are so many voices — loud voices — convincing us that the way of Jesus is too weak for the condition of our world?

If the answers are not clear to you at this moment please remember that Epiphanytide is a season. It is always a journey. It offers an invitation to walk in the light and to choose awareness over knee-jerk responses. Epiphany invites us to shift our gears. In times when you feel stuck, stalled, grinding your gears, never forget that Jesus is walking with you, even as you walk towards him. You are not alone.

“Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free,” wrote Paul Tillich. Let us choose the freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jo

January 29, 2024

To Linger in the Presence

Here we are! Welcome 2024!

It is not uncommon to hear, “Maybe this will be the year we (fill in the blank with a goal or plan). I’m not sure what it is that makes one new day more relevant that another new day, but maybe this will be the year we choose to see the relevance of each day! Especially those days which seem to be baptized in the mundane.

During our first worship service of 2024 we shared a true moment that invited each of us to consider that maybe this will be the year we give ourselves permission to linger in the presence of Jesus.

As the children presented the Magi and gifts to the manger and crèche, Annabelle seemed oblivious to the expected flow, the cadence of the hymn, or the movement of the other children. Nothing else mattered to her in that moment but Jesus.

She touched his face, made certain his blanket was wrapped tightly, and more than once she kissed his cheek. She wanted to take baby Jesus with her, but I persuaded her to leave him in the manger.

If I could recreate that moment I would say, “Yes! Take him! Take him into the world! Introduce him to your friends! Share him with your family! And when you are frightened or unsure, hold him close.” As our children taught us on Epiphany Sunday, bring your gifts – but more importantly, wrap those gifts in love, patience, compassion, curiosity, and joy.

Pastor Jo

January 9, 2024

What Does Thanksgiving Mean to You?

Preparing for Thanksgiving Day means different things to different people.

For some it means building floats for a parade.

For some it means helping Santa prepare for his annual introduction.

For some it means standing in line at a soup kitchen for a hot meal.

For some it means getting away for a few days of peace and quiet.

For some it means naming the crippling effects of grief.

For some it means preparing for the whirlwind of family and the aroma of food in the kitchen.

For some it means another workday and a little more football.

For some it means eating too much.

And maybe, for all of us, it will offer a moment to pause and give thanks.

How we tell the story of “The First Thanksgiving” we vary as much as how we choose to

celebrate or not celebrate this national holiday that was formalized by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. In his proclamation, Lincoln called on Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” Hoping a day designated to gratefulness would help us heal. Hoping a day to focus on our blessings would help us come together.

How will you choose to live out of your gratefulness this week?

Pastor Jo

November 20, 2023