Readings:
Isaiah 60: 1-6;
Psalm 72;
Ephesians 3: 1-12;
Matthew 2: 1-12 

Collect:
Creator of the heavens
who led the Magi by a star to worship the Christ-child:
guide and sustain us,
that we may find our journey’s end in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection

I don’t know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with the satnav.  If I’m going somewhere I’ve never been before it can be very useful, but it I find that I can’t trust it completely and rely very much on my knowledge of an area as well as the knowledge I gain from driving, including information from signs etc.  Sometimes this works to my favour but often it causes me to go wrong.  As we think about Epiphany and the journey of the Magi, I can’t help but reflect on their questioning on the way to see the Christ-child.

The Magi, as we are told, we visitors from the East.  Astrologers who knew enough about the stars to notice that something special was going on in the heavens.  Excited by their discovery, they set out on a journey to look for the new-born king.  Following the star, their own satnav if you like.  After following it faithfully for what would have been many days, they began to question whether they were on the right road.  The started to doubt their own ability to read the stars and when directed away from the expected route, they chose to ignore what they knew and headed for the place where they expected to find a king, the palace in Jerusalem.  

It was only when they encountered Herod and discovered that the king wasn’t there, that they decided to trust their knowledge and began to follow the star again, which led them directly to Bethlehem and the Christ-child.  This time, trusting their own wisdom and being warned by God, they returned home by a different route full of joy, after encountering God with us.  This detour had devasting consequences for the people of Bethlehem and caused Jesus, along with his parents, to flee for their lives, becoming refugees in Egypt.

As we begin this new year, my guess with some trepidation as we see the state of the world and face a year of electoral uncertainty in many countries, including here at home, it’s important for us to take a moment to think about the journey that we will make this year.  In what direction is God calling us?

For us, our walk with God isn’t always as easy as following a star or hearing from God in a dream.  If you’re anything like me, you will be constantly questioning whether this is what God is calling you to do. Are you heading in the right direction? Sometimes life gets too busy and we just carry on doing what we’ve always done but is this what God really wants you to be doing?  A new year, is a good opportunity to think about what direction you are going in and is it life giving and life affirming, i.e. of God or is it sapping of life, i.e. not of God?  

As we reflect on where we are going, we look for signs from God that offer us guidance.  I wonder where these signs have come from over the last year? Where will you find them as you enter this new year?  For me, they come from a variety of places, sometimes from quiet times spent with God but, more often than not, from conversations with people, some trusted friends and mentors but other times from the most unexpected quarters, when someone says something that just say something that make me stop and think.

This year both Barry and I will be lucky enough to have a sabbatical, just to reassure you these will be at different times, where we can have some dedicated time to stop an reflect on our journey with God.  For me, this will involve doing a couple of pilgrimages to places of significance in my own faith journey.  For both of us, it will hopefully be a time of encouragement and renewal.  Recognising that this is a privilege ministers have, I would like to encourage each of you to try and take time to reflect on your own journey this year.  Where best can you look for and recognise signs from God that you are on the right path, heading in the right direction? Where do you get your encouragement and more importantly where do you find your nourishment and renewal?  You may want to think about having a weekends retreat or finding yourself a spiritual director.  Please do speak to one of the ministers if you want to find out more.

So, as we journey into this new year, may we do so with the courage and the determination of Magi. Wherever, we go and whatever lies ahead for us may we find strength and encouragement by the knowledge that the living God is with us each step of the way, and may our eyes be open to those signs from God that help us along the way 

The first time I ever did a pilgrimage, when I was in school, I came across this poem/prayer that has stayed with me all these years.  As we continue our journey into this new year may we hear God encouraging us with these words:

Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend.

Mike Morris