A New Year is upon us and with it a new season of the Church Year – Epiphany. The biblical story from the Gospel of Matthew that goes with this event is Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus being visited by the Three Kings, or Magi. The Magi come from the East and they are following the light of a special star. This star light guides them to Bethlehem where they encounter a manifestation of God in the form of a child, the Christ Child, the one who will be King. In that manifestation they have, as we say, an epiphany.

At Adult Forum over the past few weeks, Pastor Sarah and I have been discussing how to best deal with the Holiday GERs. The GERs are the Gifts, Events and Relational opportunities which so easily can become burdens rather than joys during the Holy Days of Advent and Christmas. It is too easy for “the father of lies” (John 8:44) to slip into our lives and turn our potential joys into sources of distress and distraction.

We need to give. We were born to give. Truly, God made you and I to be givers. On the very first page of the bible in Genesis 1, verses 26-29, we read that first - we are created in God’s own image; second - that we are created to grow and become fruitful; and third - that God has gifted us with absolutely every-thing necessary for us to accomplish this growth. While I understand that God wants me to be fruitful and to grow personally, he also made me to be like him, a giver. Therefore, you and I were created to be givers.

In the days and weeks after the resurrection, the first disciples had various encounters with Jesus that are unsettling. The bible stories tell us this. Just outside the tomb the two Mary’s need to be told “do not be afraid.” Why would they need to be told that unless they were? Then in completely unexpected fashion, Jesus enters into a locked room creating anxiety among the disciples. He declares “peace.”

Lent is upon us. Having completed the season of Christmas and Epiphany, times to celebrate giving and light, we turn our attention now to Lent, a time of sacrifice, repentance and penance – oh frabjous joy!

Honest. One of the great things about being a disciple of Jesus is that our willingness to open our hearts to God is always, always, always, rewarded with his understanding, grace and power. As the scriptures say “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

In these days after Christ’s mass, we turn our gaze toward thanks. Not Thanksgiving the feast, but thanks the activity. Thankfulness is a behavior that becomes a display of gratitude for that which has been received. In scripture we see the witness of the disciples making thank offerings, sacrifices of thanks, and lifting their voices in thanks for all that God has done. A stance of thanks is the posture of a Christian life.

I don’t know about you but I want to live in God’s Kingdom now! Jesus, please tell us how!

He tells us first that we need to make life with him our greatest value. We should make time with him as valuable as, oh say, a hidden treasure in a field, or the most fantastic pearl the world has ever known.

Can we afford this?

Togetherness : the word frequently translated as “together” in the New Testament is homothumadon. My Strong’s Greek Lexicon describes it this way…

“a unique Greek word, … in the Book of Acts, helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to “rush along” and “in unison.” The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone."

On Sunday October 3rd at 4:00 pm in the Sanctuary we will be given the delight of remembering and honoring Francis for his faithful witness. We will do this with a Special Service for the Blessing of the Animals.  By honoring the gifts of life which God gives us in our pets and animal friends we are given the opportunity to draw closer to him.  Bring your pets and other animal friends to receive a blessing for the blessing they have been to you!

As we recognize and remember September 11, 2001, I pray that you do so filled with grace and the power of God’s great sacrificial love for the world in the person of Jesus. We recognize that the world is still not yet full of the grace and sacrificial love of God and we remember that we are citizens of a nation at war.  We must continue to pray for peace, we must continue to be people of blessing and God’s people in Christ who seek to “overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12)