Dear Friends,
Let me begin by wishing you a Happy New Year and a Happy Epiphany.
With the joy of Christmas still resounding in our carols, this week, we celebrate the visit of the Magi and the feast of the Epiphany. A few days ago, we marveled at the angels, the humble shepherds, and the miracle of the virgin birth. In the Orthodox Christian Church traditions, the gifts are not opened until January 6th to mark the visit of the wise men.
The contrast between humble shepherds and wise men is a deliberate message from God to emphasize the diversity of all who are invited to worship the Lord. None are too humble, nor too wise. None too holy nor too sinful. All are called to believe and to belong. And all bowed down to worship the infant Jesus.
Perhaps you know someone who needs to feel that they belong. Maybe they are lonely like those shepherds or learned but still searching like the wise men. There is something for all people at God’s table. So, invite them one and all.
As we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, imagine the Communion of Saints. What a vast table it must be to accommodate all the believers of yesterday, today, and forever. What an exciting thought to know that we belong to that body. The Church is the Body of Christ, and we are all part of it, wherever we are.
And as we embark on our journeys this year, let them be adventures in faith, sustained by God’s presence and His Spirit. Pray constantly and keep singing and praising God as St. Paul encouraged us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
And in Ephesians 5:18-19,
“ . . . be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,”
Pastor Cliff