Depending on when you are reading this article, we might still be in the 12 days of Christmas which ends on January 5th; or you might be celebrating the new year; or possibly January 6th Epiphany celebrations have finally arrived to celebrate a star in the sky and the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Whenever and however, you are celebrating, it is my hope you found a moment to revel in and reflect on the promise of God’s presence among us revealed in starlight and baby cry and the turn of the calendar to 2025.
The gift of Epiphany is the opportunity to rest in the story. There are almost ten weeks of Epiphany this year. A glorious opportunity for reflection as we enter into this new year together. One of my favorite authors is a gifted woman, named Jan Richardson. She offered this blessing for the new year. I have decided to move in.
The Year as a House: A Blessing
Think of the year as a house:
door flung wide in welcome,
threshold swept and waiting,
a graced spaciousness opening and offering itself to you.
Let it be blessed in every room.
Let it be hallowed in every corner.
Let every nook be a refuge and every object set to holy use.
Let it be here that safety will rest.
Let it be here that health will make its home.
Let it be here that peace will show its face.
Let it be here that love will find its way.
Here
let the weary come
let the aching come
let the lost come
let the sorrowing come.
Here
let them find their rest
and let them find their soothing
and let them find their place
and let them find their delight.
And may it be in this house of a year that the seasons will spin in beauty,
and may it be in these turning days that time will spiral with joy.
And may it be that its rooms will fill with ordinary grace and light spill from every window to welcome the stranger home. —Jan Richardson
Wherever you make your home, may it be blessed, and may you enter this Epiphany and the coming year in peace. People of God, welcome home! See you in church.
Pastor Chris