When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.  They entered the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  
Matthew 2: 10-11

Last week while out walking, I got this idea to drop off New Year’s Eve bags to my Sunday School families. I felt it was a way to connect with them and to say hello! My thoughts then went to what I would put in the bags. Well, I decided on a bag of microwave popcorn, some hot cocoa, candy and of course some noise makers because what is New Year’s Eve without noise makers, right? But I also wanted to add something that would help families to come together and have a time for conversation.

I settled on a coloring page that they could do together, but it wasn’t just a simple coloring page it had places for the families to think about their hopes, dreams, goals and intentions for the new year. My immediate reaction was yes this is perfect but then I began to hesitate. Would they think this was weird? I worried that it might put pressure on the families. That they would feel that they had to do this and if they didn’t, would they then feel guilt?

I became aware that those were my concerns, and I was placing them onto my families, so I decided to trust my initial reaction. I needed to give them the option and let them decide if this was an activity that was good for their family. That decision was not mine to make and if I didn’t include the coloring page then I was making the decision for them. So, I included it in the bag with all the other goodies.

Today is Epiphany, when we celebrate the magi coming to Jesus and his birth being revealed to the whole world.  When I began to get responses from the families, I had that a-ha moment that I didn’t need to worry about it because God would do God’s work when they explored the things inside the bag. Epiphanies don’t just happen on this day but happen all the time. Make sure to take time to see those Epiphany moments.

God,
You are always at work within and around us and because of that we experience those moments of awe and understanding. Those moments when the lightbulb turns on and we get it. Sometimes we get busy doing all our stuff and miss those epiphanies. Help us to slow down, to keep our eyes and ears open so that we don’t miss them. So that we can experience your wonder.
Amen

Marty

Psalm 148 1-9
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens;praise him in the heights above.
 Praise him, all his angels;praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon;praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever—he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth,you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds,stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills,fruit trees and all cedars.

The rain that we just had was so refreshing and renewing to my spirit and soul.  I love it when it rains, perhaps because I am a native Southern Californian, and it doesn’t rain here very often.  I love the way it smells before it rains and how everything is washed clean. I love seeing a rainbow in the sky, and we had a beautiful one with this past storm.  Everything just seems brighter after the storm because all the dust and dirt has been washed off.  However, the winter storms are my favorite because if we are lucky and it is cold enough, we get snow on our local mountains and we can see the stunning sight of snow-covered mountains here in HB.  We are blessed to live in a place where you can stand on the beach and look at snow covered mountains through the palm trees! Not everyone gets to experience that in real life.

We need to remember to praise God for all that he created for we are so blessed by his creations.  We also need to remember to share that praise with others.  To reflect the love of God that we feel and to publicly praise God for our many blessings. Perhaps in this new year we can work on remembering to praise God for all the blessings that we are surrounded by every day. Yes, we have our troubles and issues, but we live in what my father used to say was the best area, in the best state, in the best country, in an amazing time.  We need to remember that and be thankful.

Suzanne

Gracious and Loving God, In this new year create in us a heart that remembers to praise you for all that you have done for us.  Help us to remember to know how blessed we truly are.  As we are slowly seeing the light our of this storm on COVID, help us to remember the important lessons that we have hopefully learned.  That we need to treat each other with kindness and respect and that we need to take care of each other. Help us to live more closely in the ways that Jesus taught us to live. We know that we will not be perfect but help us to continue to strive to love each other more. Help us to see your light in this world and to reflect it others that we encounter. Amen

Happy New Year!
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. 
What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.
–Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

As I am typing this (last year, on Monday) the rumble of thunder is competing with the rattle of rain on the roof. The community is beings cleansed and watered, as if to be made ready for the new year. I will soon be leaving to go away for brief time of renewal. I know that as I enjoy time with family, our thoughts will inevitably drift to the future and to what the new year will bring.

I am pretty certain that we share the common dream of a swift end to this pandemic. We have had enough of this “time to refrain from embracing!”  We want for 2021 to be a time to embrace; to embrace each other and to embrace the possibilities that our reunited lives can bring. We know that we still need to spend time in mourning, but we want 2021 to be a time to dance. Most importantly, 2021 must be a time to heal.

This new year can be a time of healing. Yes, we seek heling of the bodies, relationships, businesses and lives which have been through this disease. Moreover, I believe that 2021 can be a time of healing for our community, for our nation, and for the world.
Let this be our goal, our toil, and our pleasure: to be makers of peace, builders of beloved community, and healers of relationships.

Now is the time.

Pastor George

God of Wonders, You who makes all things new: move through us in this new year. Move in our hands and our voices that we might bring healing with our words and our work. Be the light which guides our path and the very ground of our being. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Your questions for Sunday’s worship:
1. Where do you go when you seek answers?
2. Who comes to you seeking affirmation, information, guidance, or support?
3. Where can you shine a light in this new day?