Friends,

The Christmas season closes this Sunday on Epiphany, the day in the historic church calendar marking the visit of the Magi who journeyed from the east to pay homage to the one born King of the Jews. We often mash all the events surrounding the birth of Christ together. Many nativity scenes will have the wise men standing around the manger scene with the shepherds focused on the babe in the manger with Joseph and Mary sitting nearby. And while this makes for a complete nativity set, it probably didn’t happen exactly like that. The language Matthew uses in his birth narrative indicates that Jesus was likely more than an infant at the time of the Magi visit. In Matthew, Jesus is described as a young child—a toddler—and his family is said to be living at a house in Bethlehem suggesting that they may well have stayed on at the home in which Jesus was born, but since other guests had departed, the sense is that Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus were now occupying the guest room previously unavailable when they first arrived. The arrival of the Magi must have caused quite a stir in tiny Bethlehem—who would have imagined that foreign dignitaries would visit here instead of Jerusalem? But visit they did, and gifts they did bring, and they worshiped the child in keeping with what they had discerned through their quest. For Mary and Joseph this was another confirmation of what had been revealed to them about Jesus. But it also provided a hint that Jesus, and what would develop through him, wasn’t just for the people of Israel. Latent in the Magi visit was the sense that Jesus was somehow here for them as well. How he was there for them wasn’t as clear then. That would have to wait. It’s not difficult to imagine Joseph and Mary wondering what the Magi visit meant. One thing they knew—God was on the move. God had set in motion a plan in keeping with God’s purpose for Israel and, evidently, beyond.

When you think about it, it’s still like this today. We’re not always sure what God is doing, but we know that God is bringing about a purpose, and it is unfolding all around us if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. This Sunday I want to explore what this might mean in our day as we think about what God is doing among us, through us, and around us in ways we might not have imagined. The message this Sunday is the continuation of a recent message about the nature of church and how the idea of church is shifting in our time. There’s a great deal of uncertainty in our present world, but there is something of which followers of Jesus can be certain, and that’s the conversation I want to begin with you this week. If you want to get a head start on the idea, consider this: what is the gospel of Jesus, and how did his ministry bear this out? Chew on this for a bit, and we’ll tackle it together starting Sunday.

As 2019 drew to a close, we recognized the completion of Pastor Mike’s ministry among us. Last Sunday we celebrated 30 years of Mike and Gail’s ministry here and wished them well as we added our blessing to his retirement. Going forward, much of what Mike did among us has been distributed among other staff and ministry teams. The deacons are geared up for providing pastoral care in times of need. Others among us have graciously stepped up to fill in where Mike had faithfully served. I’m always available for pastoral concerns—during the week you can contact the church office to get in touch. I’m usually in the office Tuesday through Thursday during the day. When you need to get hold of me after hours, you can reach me at 206-###-####. That’s my cell phone, which doesn’t always work when I’m at home, so my home number is 360-###-###. I check messages regularly, so please leave a message with contact information if I don’t pick up. 

As 2020 gets underway, I want to let you know that we’re in a second round of interviews with a promising applicant for the youth director position. Thanks for your faithful prayers during this process! Keep praying as we continue to seek God’s direction in filling this vital staff position. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead in our youth ministry. I’ll let you know more as soon as we can. 

I look forward to what this new year, new decade, and new season in our life together will bring as God continues to lead us and as we carefully follow!

See you Sunday,
—frank