Dear Friends,
Thanks to the way the Sundays fell this year, we passed quickly over the Epiphany story, squeezing it in on New Year’s Day, and missing a chance to dwell deeply in it. But I’ve always liked the story of the Magi following a star as it leads them to Bethlehem. It is a story that affirms the place of foreigners and immigrants in the Kingdom of God; the story also seems to suggest spiritual truths can be found in various faith traditions (the Magi were, after all, from a far off land, and it’s almost certain the faith they practiced was not Judaism). This is a good message to hear and tell abroad in a world where foreigners and immigrants are feared and orthodoxy is somewhat overvalued.
But were I preaching an Epiphany sermon this year I think I’d focus on the star, because it seems to me this year more than most is a year when we will need guidance, when we will benefit from any light that might lead us to whatever expression of Divinity may be born among us.
In the drama that 2017 surely will be, there are many lights competing for the role of Guiding Star: a new President, for starters, and a slough of Washington bigwigs, many of whom will seek to replicate a recent political success story by pandering to America’s baser impulses. False news stories, junk science, and mindless entertainment may all try to lead away from the Christ, as may the cares and pressures of life in a world of greater obligations and fewer resources.
My prayer for you this Epiphany is that every star that guides you will be a Christ-like star: star of love, a star of kindness, a star of peace, a star of hope, a star of joy. May these stars lead you to a better place in the new year. And when you have been in the presence of the God who is born among us, it may change you. You may become a threat to the powers of empire, you may be compelled to return home by another road, but if you follow a star that leads you into the very presence of God, you won’t be sorry.
So as 2017 begins, let us look to the heavens and let us follow the stars that will lead us to the places where heaven is looking for us.
God’s Peace,
Ben