Heat Rises...

    Now that the cold weather has returned, I am reminded again that heat rises, even though in this situation, it seems counter-intuitive.  Let me explain.                                                                                Our home is about two-thirds up the side of a 2300 foot tall mountain, which makes for some interesting dynamics and great science lessons for my kids.  I didn’t notice it too much the first winter, but the second winter I remember walking out on a cold morning and realizing there was no frost on the ground nor the cars.  I’d head down the mountain, and by the time I reached the houses below, the roofs, lawns, and cars would glisten with the frozen film.  I've never being a great scientist, so it took a little thought, but I realized that’s because heat rises and it is warmer at my house than below.
    Now that may sound like a no-brainer, but when I am talking temperature change, I mean a true shift in just a few hundred feet elevation change.  I can drive out in the morning when it is 39 degrees at the house, but when I get to the church below the thermometer on the car reads 30 or sometimes colder!  It’s amazing to me how with such short distance there can be so much change.

    Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the change.  As my children grow up, I realize I am aging, and with their maturing so increases the activity level after school and in the evenings.  Add one dance class a week, and everything has to shift.  Things change.
    Professionally I’m at a space where I am realizing that change is in order.  That the 18 years of learning is the foundation for what the next 18-20 will be, and in order to both make my work impactful and rewarding, as well as meaningful for myself, it’s time to begin to prayerfully take some risks for the Kingdom and in my own life so that I can live into the gifts God has given me and call for which God has prepared me.  In thinking about these things, it seems like just a little change has an impact exponentially.  Things change.
    Most especially, and maybe hardest to navigate, the Church is at a point where we need to change.  I use the term “Church” with a big “C” because indeed the institution of the Church can so easily become set in her ways, and in doing so get comfortable in it’s own skin.  When that happens, we forget that the Church is the one organization that exists almost solely for those outside the community.  We could discuss THE Church, your church, my church, whichever church, but church is church and often one small change can be perceived and received as seismic and threatening.  Things change.

    As I have been thinking about such changes, I’ve been reminded of how scary change is.  To enter into change is to risk being changed.  It opens the possibility of going into the unknown.  It means giving up control and trusting.  Ultimately, as I’m working through the changes of life I’ve found myself turning back toward faith and trusting in God.
    After all, the Bible is filled with story after story of folks who went through changes.  From Abraham to Moses to the Prophets, the Disciples, even Jesus revealing a whole new way of seeing the world, biblically we are reminded that change is inevitable, BUT that God is unchanging.  That the God who calls us to enter the change goes with us, and even guides us so that on the other side, we emerge blessed and a blessing.  And what is even more amazing is that God knows that sometimes it just takes a small shift for the Kingdom of God to break loose in the world.


    One other thing that I’ve been thinking about and realized is that at the higher elevations, it’s a little warmer but it can also give us a better perspective.  That is, from on top of the mountain we can look down and see the big picture, and when we see the bigger picture, we are better able to navigate the change because there is less that is unknown.
    Relating that allegory to life, it’s vital to go to that place of warmth and elevation when trying to navigate change, and the way we do that is to step back from acting, and instead reflect and pray for the right approach, rather than the next approach.  When one steps away, our eyes are opened, the voices of fear subside, and we can rationally and deliberately enter that knowing and feeling that, though it may be frightening, God is already there and will remain with us.


What changes are happening in your life?
Try this: For one week in every decision you make, stop before reacting, ask for God’s help, then listen, look at the bigger picture, and follow God’s lead.

Life is a process of Adjustments...

    Every Friday morning on my way to my men’s Bible study, I listen to “Story Corps,” on National Public Radio.  Story corps chronicles the stories of everyday people by providing small, mobile recording studios where people can set an appointment, and they tell of a relationship, event, or vignette from their lives.  If you’d like to learn more, simply go to: www.storycorps.org, while you are at it, you might listen to Earl Reynolds’ story from this morning.
    I was immediately drawn into Earl Reynolds Jr.’d story, because he is from, and grew up in, Roanoke, VA, my current hometown.  He grew up the son of a barber, and tells of how one day the singer, James Brown, came into the shop and young Earl got to shine Brown’s shoes.  Earl shares tells this story to his daughter, and as he does he quotes one of his own father’s frequent sayings, which is “life is a process of adjustments.”
    This phrase struck me, and thank goodness this came at the end of the narrative because I began thinking about the many ways in which life is indeed a process of adjustments.  I thought of how life unfolds, and the result of that unfolding we have to adjust to the realities of life, otherwise we’ll either go crazy, be frustrated, or get lost and depressed. 
    I reflected upon what a process of adjustments looks like and was reminded that, just as in life, so in faith do we find ourselves in the middle of a process, adjusting to where God is and where God might be calling us to serve.  To how our faith or forgiveness or love or hope are all well described as a “process of adjustments.”  But then I found myself thinking about who makes those adjustments and how those adjustments affect others.
    Certainly from Earl Reynolds Sr.’s perspective, the process and adjustments are personal.  That as we go through life, or as life goes through us, we discover that we have to adjust and that it helps to see things as a process rather than an ends and means game.  That we face situations day in and day out, and how we approach and address these situations can make all the difference.  But this has implications which are more than just personal, they can also be communal.
    As a pastor, daily I encounter how one person’s response or ideas can disrupt the whole apple cart or make all the difference in bringing harmony.  I am reminded that the process that is going on in one life is interlinked with my own...and a whole congregation of people...and when one person adjusts, others are forced to adjust their lives as well. 
    This happens in committee work.  It happens in mission and outreach.  It happens in finances, and even among the work of church leadership and staff.  This process of adjustments is constantly at work, and in order to become community there must be give and take, as well as sometimes placing the needs of the community and the communal process of adjustments ahead of our own desires and ideals.

    In the middle of the book of Acts there are story after story of Paul and his companions traveling from town to town, region to region, sharing the story of Christ.  Toward the end of the 14th chapter Paul and Barnabas head back to Antioch.  When they get there they are greeted by their friends and fellow Christ followers.  They share the stories of what they have been through, and Paul says to them, “We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”
    In reading the New Testament and reflecting upon Paul’s writings, there is an evolution that took place from who he was at the start to who he ended up becoming.  One can almost see the process of adjustments lived out in Paul as his theology was shaped by his experiences and the movement of the Holy Spirit.  As he made those adjustments and shared them, those with whom he shared, including us, were blessed, for they witness to a call to grow and be changed as people of faith.  They witness to the blessing that God does not leave us where we are but moves us to become who God needs us to become.  Through a process of adjustments, and learnings, we grow as disciples.

    “Life is a process of adjustments.”  It is a simply but profound statement.  Even more powerfully, when lived out, it is more than just a statement.  It is a way of living.  It is a way of growing.  It is a way of becoming.  It is the way of faith.



How do you approach life?  How do you deal with change?  When was the last time you reflected upon the process of adjustments that you are making, and where is God in the midst of that process?

The Teenage Years

    Yesterday my oldest turned 13.  It’s hard to believe that I am the parent of a teenager.  Luckily for us, he has not hit that usual state of teenage rebellion and independence, but I’m sure it’s coming.
    As we returned home from his birthday dinner out and sharing with family, I found myself reflecting upon my 13th birthday.  I still remember it.  I don’t remember the gifts I received, but I do have vague memories of the dinner together and a sense that this was a big deal.  I remember my parents and friends talking about it as if it was a new chapter in life.
    Who knows whether the feelings were felt that day, but I do remember entering “teenage-dom” with a sense of excitement mixed with dread and fear.  I didn’t know what to expect nor what everyone was talking about with teenagers being different and evolving (should I say ‘rebelling’?), but I do remember having a sense that I was changing...and with the changes in me, it felt like the world was going to be changing.
    Though I haven’t talked it out with my son, I wonder if he is, or will be, feeling the same kinds of things.  Maybe we who have been through it make a bigger deal about it than it is, and adolescence is different for everyone, but the changes are real.  They are palpable, and at times they are scary, for the familiar becomes unfamiliar, that upon which we can rely seems to not be as reliable, and the paradigm that we knew of as ‘life’ shifts under our feet.
    Physical changes come which lead to questions, sensitivities, and confusion.  Emotional changes occur which keep us, and everyone around us, wondering where “that response” came from and/or what the next response will be.  Psychological changes come, and we begin to think different.  Our perceptions shift, and the world can close in or expand at the blink of an eye.  Spiritual changes occur, and we begin to understand that the faith of our fathers and mothers is theirs.  At some point, we’ll have to grapple with what that faith means to us and whether we will embrace it.

    The main characters in the book of Exodus are God, Moses, and the people of Israel.  Egypt plays a bit part, but the action is really focused on the other three.  The story starts with Moses being sent down the river, but God saves him and actually prepares him for his later life, when he becomes the great leader Israel needs.
    Moses is called by God in a drastic way, and God says, “I need you to lead my people out of slavery.”  The reality of such a call was pretty overwhelming for Moses.  It meant returning to a land where he was wanted for murder.  It meant telling the most powerful person on the earth to simply free his slave labor.  It meant allowing the course of his life to be drastically changed.
    Moses did follow, and after a series of actions on God’s part, the people of Israel did get out of Egypt.  But on the other side of the Red Sea through which they escaped, they had a long road ahead of them – 40 years to be exact.  Along that road there were times when they listened to God and Moses, and there were times when they didn’t.  Often Moses would hear them say, “Well at least we had the necessities of life when we were back in Egypt.  Let’s just turn around.”  Always, Moses would say, “We must press ahead, for God has great things in store.  We just have to push through the struggles and changes to God’s gift in front of us.”
    In God’s time, they did push through, and though they didn’t always follow, though they fell and at other times were faithful, the lesson of the wilderness remained.  Change is hard, but when they pushed through the change and trusted in God, they ended up in the place they were supposed to be.
    As I think of and pray for my kids, especially my now adolescent, I can’t help but think of Moses and the Israelites and the lesson they teach us all.  There will be changes, and it will not always be easy, but when we trust in God and follow, God makes a way for us to end up where we need to be.
    As I think of these things, I also think of the church and the people of faith.  There are some churches and some people who are spiritually infants, some who are kids, some who are adolescents, and some who are grown adults in the faith, and at each stage of the spiritual life we go through a shift, a change, and it scares the hell out of us.  We don’t want to move to the next level because it’s unknown.  We fear what we do not know, and yet if we push through, trust God and trust one another, God can take any church or any person to the place where they need to be.
    As I think of these things, I am reminded of situations within me and around me where transformation is happening in wonderful and amazing ways, and I see (within and around) the desire to keep control or keep the status quo, which though it may give us the illusion of comfort, really only keeps at bay what is needed for us to get to the place God needs me/us to be.
    This life thing, or should I say “faith thing”, is not always easy.  It is filled with times of standing on shifting sand as well setting our feet on solid ground.  It is a mix of living from who we have been to who we need to become.  It is a struggle at times, but it is also an amazing journey, and the way we navigate that most effectively, the way we truly live, is to push through the chaos, ask the questions and sit with the silence, reflect upon the discomfort but then trust in God and one another to take us to the place we need to be.
    When WE do...God ALWAYS does.


Where in your life do things seem to be shifting?  How are you responding?  Are you trying to maintain control?  What might you do to relinquish control and give it over to God?

fall

A season of change
not only among the leaves but in our hearts
the heat of summer retreats and coolness blows in

before our very eyes
the results of the change
colors burst forth
revealing the beauty beneath
mountains become a mix
of oranges, yellows, greens, and reds
the air is crisp and clear
and harvest moons draw in our gaze
we remember
how much of life we forget

But hues fade
the wind blows
the life on the tree is now crumpled then gone
a pall of browns, branches and starkness cover the earth
arrive the bite of winter
we cocoon ourselves
until life is ushered in again
and the cycle is complete

****

A season of change
the most drastic of changes
the warmth of life drains out
and all goes
cold
dark
lifeless

our loved ones see the change
feel the change
and grief becomes our enemy/friend
no longer will things be as they were

Yet in the midst of the pain
glimpses of life
rich hues fill the heart and mind
memories more vivid that usual
flood over and into us
hills and valleys are woven together
swirling with life
death
sorrow
truth
the peace-filled face draws us in

 We cocoon ourselves
until we receive the gift

Despite "the fall"

life is ushered in again

the cycle is complete

A change of seasons is a way for us to be reminded to reflect upon life, death, and hope.  May the truth of your life be revealed and the hope of resurrection be a gift received in this change of seasons.

Growing Up and Letting Go

   I have a program on my computer that will change the wallpaper every 15 minutes or so, and this morning this picture of my daughter popped up on the screen.  This was taken four years ago when Anna was just learning of her love for water.  Note that in order to love the water, we took precautions to keep her afloat and to protect her.  Anna has now begun Kindergarten, swims competitively on the swim team, and as then, is willing and eager to jump into whatever is before her.
    School has been in session almost a month now, and as these weeks have unfolded I’ve found myself pausing more frequently to simply reflect upon my children, their growth and the changes that they’ve been through.  I’ve found myself reminiscing about what they used to be like, while at the same time looking deeply into who they are becoming.  As I’ve been reflecting upon their growing up, I’ve had to also name that I have to do some letting go as well.
    As they age and mature, they encounter different experiences which shape and mold them.  Some of these things are good and some bad.  Some have more impact than others, but I have little control over most of these.  Rather, I find myself more and more ‘debriefing’ them after the fact to teach a lesson or simply to give them a chance to talk about an experience.  As my wife and I go through this process, we find that we’re not the only ones that have to let go of who we thought we were or what we thought would be our reality, but they too have to let go of such things in order to mature into who God is calling them to be.
  
    One of the great gifts that God gives us is the privilege of growing up and learning.  I believe strongly that part of God’s plan for each of us is that we are constantly growing and changing and being shaped into something new, and the more I visit and share with ‘more experienced’ members of society, especially the great saints, the more I recognize this truth.  Someone once said, “If a church is not growing, it’s dying.”  The same can be said for individuals.  If we settle for the status quo or simply try to maintain our piece of life, we’re really dying, or at least from my perspective, we’re not living into the new life God offers us.
    And yet, we live in a society that leans toward the easy fix.  We are people who like to keep control and keep things on an even keel so that we can feel secure.  We like this because it gives us security.
    If you have any doubts about this, look at what is happening in the world and politics.  Much of what fuels the fires of political debate is holding tightly to an ideology, which so often means either keeping or trying to get back to “the way things have always been done,” when in truth change is inevitable, and the only way to navigate change is to seek understanding and cohesion for the good of the community at large.  Yes, this means giving up a bit of control, but my experience has been that, when we are willing to do so, we might not agree at the end of the day, but we are changed and moved a bit closer together.
    Of course, this is hard stuff, and for many it is too hard, because the key to opening up is letting go.  It is first acknowledging the reality of change, then taking an attitude and desire to grow into the change that comes, then letting go and letting God do what God does best...change is in God’s image.

    The stories of the people of Israel are foundational to the faith, and when we begin to really examine them, we find that they are the stories of all people who seek to follow God.  Whether Biblical or in our day to day, the pattern remains the same.  We have some encounter with God.  God shares with us what will bring us true life, and we live into that...for a little bit.  But then we harken back to the good ole days or we feel like God is calling for more than we think we can handle or that old friend “control” sneaks in, and we dig in our heels and resist the change.  Things don’t usually go as well when we react in such ways, than if we’d just let go and let God.

    Moses was leading the people of Israel across the wilderness into the Promised Land.  At first manna and quail were okay.  They were grateful, but after awhile that diet got old.  “We were better off as slaves in Egypt!  Why’d you bring us out here to die?  Let’s go back.”  To move forward into that wilderness was to risk being changed, and that’s hard.  Then again, it is the very thing that moves us to grow into God’s image.

    Soon after that picture of Anna was taken, as happened with my boys, she learned to swim on her own.  The swimmies were removed from her arms and the kapoc left her waist.  The protection that she needed when she was younger was removed as she gained experience and she grew into a true swimmer.  As this happened, we were beside her with each step, but eventually as she mastered the skill, we were able to let go and let her do the thing which brings her great joy.
    In many ways, this is how God is with us.  God helps us along when we first enter the waters of faith, and slowly steps back as we learn and grow more.  At times we may falter, but God is beside us to lift us up again.  As we grow, God lets us go, but remains close, gently nudging us toward who and what God needs us to be.
    And just as my daughter had to trust us as parent to be there throughout this process, so are we invited to trust God, our Holy Parent, as we go through the process of learning, growing, and being changed into God’s image.  When we do so, we don’t just experience great joy, but we receive new life.

Where in your life have you dug in your heels and stifled God’s work to change you?  When have you let go and let God work?  What was the result?

     I had an interesting experience the other day.  My son’s ipod was not working, and instead of sending it off for repairs, I found out that there was an Apple store nearby where we are spending our vacation, so I set up an appointment to take it in and have them look at it.
    I’m not sure how many of you have been in an Apple store, but the whole family was amazed.  I try to keep up with the latest trends, and I think I have tabs on what’s hot.  Maybe it’s because I’m a tried and true PC user that I’d not seen it coming, but I’d never seen anything like this.
    When we walked into the store, it felt like we were literally walking into the future.  The store was simple, yet stark.  Whites and shining chrome all around, then around each wall and lined neatly in rows throughout the store were tables.  Along the walls at the front of the store were Apple products on display and inviting anyone and everyone to play with them – to engage the customer to fulfill something special with them.  There were iphones, ipods, ipads, and macbooks, all open and ready for use.
    On the tables toward the front of the store were more toys to play with, then toward the back of there store, there were employees sitting down and holding session.  Like rabbi’s teaching disciples, they were surrounded by potential buyers, showing them all the features of the newest macbooks and answering questions.
    Then toward the back was the service area, where repairs and inquiries were made.  Two large monitors mounted on the walls, flashed tips for how to improve one’s Apple experience if one owned an ipod or ipad, intermittently throwing in a numbered list of the next customers to be helped.
    But what amazed us most was the amount of people in the store.  It was literally packed, and for the hour that we were there it stayed that way.  Throngs of people were there, all absorbing the energy of the place and taking some time to play and explore.  Folks were playing on ipads, learning from an Apple guru, or roaming the store simply dreaming of owning a fun new gadget.  It was truly an amazing experience.
    As I left the store and for the rest of the day I kept coming back to the question, “Why can’t the church be like that?”  Yes, I know, the church shouldn't always follow pop culture and shouldn’t jump on every band wagon, but rarely to do experience the church as a place where another world opens up.  Rarely are churches places where the people and/or the experience invite the stranger to experience something which will help them to engage in life and fulfill their purpose. This is sad, because that should be central to who we are and what we are about.

    What is it that keeps the church from being a place where invitation to truly live exudes from it’s pores?

    In three of the four Gospels, Jesus is recounted as sharing words which I believe speak to this

question.  He says, “You can’t put new wine in old wineskins, because the old wineskins will tear.”
    As I read this, I hear Jesus telling the religious leaders of the day that He’s doing something new, but what happens with new things is that we humans have a tendency to place the new in perspective with the old...the familiar...the norm.  But when we do that, I think Jesus is saying, it doesn’t work.  Instead, we have to be willing to start anew and live into the new paradigm God provides for us.

    What is interesting about the church is that it is “established.”  It lives by traditions and seems set in it’s ways, and in many churches, the seven last words of the Church (We’ve never done it like that before...), hold the church and its people captive to the past.  In fact, this mentality acts as an insulator toward the change that God is bringing about in the world.
    I’m certainly not saying that we throw the baby out with the bath water and simply jump from trend to trend, but I do know that there is a world out there hungry for meaning for life.  And I believe that the Church is the place where they can find that kind of meaning.
    And yet, so many, instead of heading to Church head to the Apple store.  I wonder what it would take for the tides to change and the roles reversed?  It will take a lot, but one thing is certain, it will take people like me and you to name the needed changes then take the lead in making them happen...

How does your Church insulate itself from the world?  Is there anything you might do to be a catalyst for change so that those outside would be drawn to come in?

When was the last time your church or you stepped out into the world and studied what people are hungry for?

Growing and Changing

    No longer will my wife or I be driving our daughter to the big Baptist church in town for preschool.  Next year she will join her brother in elementary school, where she will be a Kindergartner and he will be in Fifth grade.  At least there will be one year where he can help acclimate her to the next step of schooling.  Our other son will be in Seventh grade next year, which means that the next year, as the younger son will have helped his younger sister to understand the change, so the older son will do the same for his brother.

    This week ended the school year and today begins summer for my family, and as the day settles I find myself filled with all kinds of thoughts and emotions.  Memories ranging from when they were just bundles in my arms to a sense of aging for them and for me.  Thoughts range from how far they have come to a sense of apprehension at the learning which will take place as the lessons of life are dispensed to each of them.

    Then there is the recognition that I am not alone.  Yes, my wife and extended family is in this with me, and so are the parents around us.  As I delve deeper, I am reminded that this is nothing new.  That generations have had to deal with this, and they survived.

    Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing, and I’m not freaking out about these changes from year to year, but it does make one stop to think about life.  It makes one carry out a series of internal assessments, raises questions, and positions one to simply be more aware of what life is about and how one is living daily.  It makes one reflect upon change.

    One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Jesus healing the man at the Sheep Gate (John 5: 1-11), where there was a natural spring that would intermittently be stirred by a current.  The man

had been an invalid for 38 years, and everyday he would make his way to that pool because legend said that, if one were the first one in the pool when that water was stirred, they would be healed of their infirmity.  The man was an invalid, unable to walk very well, and every time he tried to get in at the water’s stirring, someone would butt in front of him.  Jesus learns about this man, and he asks the man, “Do you want to get well?”
    The man replies, “I’ve tried, but no one will help me.”  To which Jesus said, “Pick up your mat and walk,” and the man did.  The healing itself is extraordinary, but what is most powerful in the story is that the man said “yes.” 
    Now you may think that’s kind of odd.  After all, isn’t it a good thing for the man to be able to walk, to which I reply, “Yes.”  But the ramifications for saying “yes” are huge.  This is a man who only knows a begging life.  He’s only known being an invalid.  He only knows relying upon others, and if he was healed, then he’d have to change.  His whole world would change, and everything would be different.
    Wow!  That’s huge.  I wonder how I’d respond.  In fact, there are many times when I, and all of us choose NOT to go through the change.  It can feel like it’s just too difficult.

    We live in a world that, on the one hand lives for change, while at the same time struggles with the changes all around us.  From technology to culture, change is evident, and we see and feel the impact of this in everything.  In such a world it is easy to get caught up in the change and simply miss out on the little things, and yet the nostalgic part of us recognizes how important the little things are.

    This is the reason during this season of graduations and end of school, we feel the change.  Its ramifications and implications are far reaching, and if we’re not careful they can make us depressed and/or feel lost.  And yet, there is one constant that never changes, in the middle of the change is God.
    I love this Bible story because it is a challenge to us that, if we trust Jesus, then everything will change.  It’s scary, and we feel helpless in it, but at the same time it is also freeing, for it means that we are no longer in charge.  It means that, despite the changes, Jesus is there making things well.  It means that we can give up trying to control everything, worrying about what we cannot change, and seeking our way rather than God’s way.   
    God’s there in the midst of my aging children and my aging self.  God’s there in the midst of friends who are moving away and those who are beginning new journeys.  God is there in the grief of loss, and in the pain of divorce.  God is wherever there is change, because God is the One that transforms all things into hope and new life.

Where do you need to be changed?  Pray for the courage to trust and live into God’s gift of new life.

Epiphany

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him...the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”  - selections from Matthew 2

    These verses are the bookends of the story that is the basis for Epiphany.  Today, January 6th, is the celebration of the Epiphany of Christ.  The term “Epiphany” means “manifestation,” and it is the day when Christians celebrate that God came to earth for all and not just for some.  This was revealed by the fact that gentile Magi brought gifts to the child king, something unheard of but significant, for they were included in God’s plan...as all are invited even today.
    As I begin this day I contemplate the power of such a truth, that the God of all things would come to regular, ordinary people and irregular, odd misfits.  That God would come to those who were part of the family, but also open up that family to include all who needed a place to call home.  Today this is what I remember, and it’s an invitation for all of us to remember and reflect upon.
    Every year when Epiphany rolls around I make the connection of Epiphany to New Year’s.  It’s not a hard stretch, but I do believe it is significant, because both give us the opportunity to start again.  They both give us a chance to step back from life, realign ourselves, then step out on a path that is set by our Creator.
    It’s kind of like keeping our eyes on a star and following it, as we can keep our eyes and hearts focused on a New Year’s Resolution or decision for change, with the help of God, we can arrive at a place that we expect and don’t expect at the same time.  That is, those Magi didn’t know what they’d find, they just knew it was special.  In the same way when we set a course for change, we might not expect to know what to find, but we can be blessed with something special on the other end.  Both are worth it.

    In addition to connecting Epiphany to New Year’s I also pause to reflect upon the last line of the story – “they returned to their country by another route.”  It’s a line worth thinking on, for there are plenty of places in my life (and yours) where I need to take another route.  After all, that’s the only way for change to happen, and often it’s a better way.  I/we just have to be bold enough to choose another way and follow it.
    Finally, there is a great theme that emerges throughout the season of Epiphany, and that is the theme of “Light.”  The symbol of Epiphany is the Star that guides.  My hope and prayer is that this Epiphany and this year, the Light will guide, that it will illuminate the dark places, and as it does lead us to the place we need to be.