Dear friends
It was great to share Christmas with many of you last week whether it be at Beacon, Christingle, Christmas Day or in small conversations around the bigger gatherings. I know many of you saw family, friends and neighbours and some had some time out. Although many in the world may have finished celebrating Christmas, for many Christians, the season continues into a time of reflecting, resting in or acting on (or all three) what Jesus coming as ‘Immanuel’ means to them.
This week we continue the story in the church building with our final part of the ‘sky full of stars’ series as we think about the visit of the wise men. Some know this time as ‘Epiphany’ and it is traditionally celebrated on the 6th January. A lovely Ukranian lady who stays with my sister reminded me on Christmas Day that in Ukraine, the main day of celebration is the 6th.
I love these descriptions of the word Epiphany… ‘an appearance especially of a divine being.’ ‘An intuitive grasp of reality through something usually simple and striking.’ ‘A sudden perception of the essential nature of something”
I thank God that although we will never see everything this side of heaven (1 Cor 13:12) He gives us moments, glimpses, revelations, grasps, dreams, pictures of who He is. The encouragement again is that he is here and whatever has happened to us in the year he says ‘follow me’ again, get out of the boat, walk on the waves with me. For some this will mean saying yes to Jesus for the first time. Pete Greig recently shared a song by Nightbirde called ‘The story I’ll tell’ about God being with us through the years despite not understanding it all. You can hear it here on Nightbirde- The Story I’ll Tell (Prod. By Ryland Talamo) – YouTube
Tomorrow (Sunday) we meet for a New Year café church 11-12 in the church building and we are hoping to go online too. If you have a takeout cup then do bring it as we don’t know who we have helping with refreshments.
Thanks again to all of you for being the church in Moortown and beyond.
More new year thoughts to come… but for now, I look forward to adventuring with you into the new year
“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts…” (Matthew 2: 11)
In Christ
Shelley