Friends, I am forwarding part of my SpiritCare weekly meditation to you all so I can extend Epiphany Blessings. Please excuse any duplication you have received. I have also included a photograph taken of the middle front door of the church of St. Aquinas in Reno. We spent an extra day in Reno, and took a morning walk as the snow melted from the night before. A friendly greeter at the church told us that the copper came from a mine in Nevada. I was so stunned I forgot to ask about the artist. It was a beautiful morning.
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"When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child..."
Matthew 2:13
Meditation:
[On our recent trip ] I did miss celebrating Epiphany with the San Lorenzo Community Church, and as we travelled, I found myself pondering the journey of both the Holy Family and the Magi. The Christmas story is rich, and the older I get the more I love its mystery and wonder, as well as the reminder to listen to our dreams and intuition. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the comings and goings of the Herods of our time. Yet, we know there is so much more to this sacred life we have been blessed with.
When I walked into the house after our arrival, I laughed out loud. Our mantle was still decorated, and the four creches I had brought out of their boxes were still out. The Christmas mugs were still in the cabinet. The artificial poinsettias were still blooming, and the small gnomes from my childhood were still in their usual Christmas spot, and they were still smiling. We opted to not decorate a tree because we knew we would be leaving just after New Year's, and I do not like to be hasty in taking down the decorations. I happily settled back into Epiphany, and yesterday, as I began preparations for this coming Sunday's worship service, I was reminded that Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season. A season of learning again to listen and to ponder, and to remember that not even the most desperate power wielding Herods can possibly outlast or outwit God. Glory be.
I leave you for now with this beautiful Christmas prayer from the book, I Wonder as I Wander, The 12 Days of Christmas with Madeleine L'Engle by Bruce G. Epperly. On a whim I ordered the book before we left, so it, too, was waiting silently on the front porch to welcome us home.
A CHRISTMAS PRAYER
"'Brightest and best of the stars of the morning,
dawn on our darkness and lend us your aid,'
in the time in which leaders have
lost their moral compass
and the world is at risk.
Let your starlight and sunlight
shine in and through us,
radiating forth to bring light to the world,
love to the lonely, and hope to the fearful.
Guide my feet, so that I might
"go tell it on the mountain that
Jesus Christ is born"
right here and now in this holy moment.
Let the Spirit of the Christmas Star
guide me in the year ahead.
With the Magi, let my life be a gift to Jesus
and to all his children, human and nonhuman alike.
In the Name of the Way-Maker and Life-Giver,
let it be so!
The last of my bayberry candles are lit, and I wish you all a blessed Epiphany season.
Love and Blessings,
Rev. Sue Ann
hymns quoted:
"Brightest and Best", Southern Harmony, 1835
"Go Tell It on the Mountain", African-American Spiritual
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