Dear friends,
At this time every year we all seem to be having our own private epiphanies about how we want our lives to be better. So we make resolutions; to eat better, to be more fit, to be more disciplined. To send our Christmas cards earlier next year.
It’s not hard to understand why. Thinking about the passing of another year, another season of life, naturally provokes the desire to be made new again.
This time of year as disciples we’re also wrapping up the Christmas season with the Christian celebration of Epiphany on January 6 – the annual commemoration of the Wise Men visiting Jesus, thereby revealing Christ to the gentiles. The Gospel of Mathew Chapter 2 tells us about these distinguished visitors:
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”
Various traditions hold a wide variety of beliefs about these foreign dignitaries: they likely travelled a very long time, probably up to two years; some believe there were three wise men, while others believe there were as many as a dozen; some say their names were Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, while others say their names were Larvandad, Gushnasaph, and Hormisdas; some pinpoint their origins from Persia, Babylon, or India. Others say one came from as far away as China!
Whatever the true details, these travelers set out on a long journey that began with the revelation of a new hope: they saw a star in the distance. They weren’t sure exactly what they would find, but they prepared for the journey, packed their best treasures, and set out to follow God’s sign. In other words, it was a journey of faith.
First Christian Church of Oceanside is about to begin just such a journey.
Talk to a few of our members and you’ll discover a strong belief that God is leading us into a new season of life as a church. Nobody is quite sure what exactly that will look like, least of all me, but just as with the ancient wise men, there is widespread sense that God is leading the way.
My job is to make sure we are prepared for the journey, that we have packed our best treasures to be offered as gifts, and that we keep our eyes on the star that guides us.
In order to prepare for the journey, I am extending three invitations to you this month:
Join us on Sundays at 10:30 AM for the month of January, where I’ll be teaching about the story of Abraham in a new series called “The Journey to New Beginnings.”
Join me for an Epiphany Prayer lunch in January, to be held January 6, January 12, and January 21 (please RSVP).
Come to a church-wide prayer gathering on Sunday, January 24 at 6 PM (please RSVP).
Please join us for at least one of these prayer gatherings. I sincerely want every member and friend of First Christian to participate in the process of discovering what God is calling us to become for our next season of life as a church. That will be a long journey, with lots of opportunities to participate, but no stop along the way will be more important than this time of prayerfully asking God to prepare our hearts.
One last thing: earlier I wrote that I don’t know exactly what God has in store for us at First Christian. And that’s true. I’m on this journey right alongside you. But I deeply believe that at the end of our travels, we will discover the same thing the wise men found in Bethlehem so long ago: a revelation of Christ, for our time and place.
Are you excited? If so, make a commitment to join us.
Blessings,
Jason A. Coker
Senior Pastor