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
