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Epiphany is about faith in the middle, faith in the everyday and routine of our lives. Christmas says God is with us. Epiphany reminds us that God’s going to stick around. Which means that we don’t solely experience God’s presence in the spiritual high times of our lives. God is with us in every time – the good, the bad, and everything in between. But Epiphany also teaches us that you are precisely the person God has called. Perhaps what’s most amazing about the story of the magi is that God called them in a way that others didn’t understand. God calls to them where they are, in the middle of their everyday lives, and invites them to come and see Christ in their midst. Epiphany reminds us to never underestimate the ways that God will speak to us, that our faith cannot be compared to the ways others have encountered the presence of God. But it can be shared.

Which is exactly what we need. It’s what this community of faith needs. It’s what the world needs. Epiphany reminds us that with God nothing is ordinary or routine. Epiphany reminds us that each of us has been called where we are and as we are to come and experience the love and grace of Christ. And Epiphany reminds us that our stories of these Godly encounters have the power to transform life and the world around us. Your presence in this place and the life and gifts that you share are a great blessing to the world, reminding us all time and time again that God is indeed with us.

Because while the holidays are coming to a close, the lights and decorations will come down, and the world will move on, the light of Christ still shines. It’s Epiphany. And what are we to do in such a time? Listen, for God is calling you in ways that maybe only you understand. Come and see the goodness of God, which brings us life and wholeness. And go. Share your story. Let the light of Christ which lives in you shine for all to see. It may be that your witness of the power of God, is a star for others, inviting them to come and see and know the grace and love and life of Christ that is for all the world. Thanks be to God! Amen. 

- Excerpt from Pastor Ryan's serman on 1/7/24. To watch the whole message, go HERE.