01-03-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 3, 2026
Brad Pitt is not a name I quote often, but I just saw a short quote of his. He said, “I always liked those moments of epiphany, when you have the next destination.” Epiphany is both a specific day in the life of the church, while also being an experience through which an individual gains insight, often through God or the Holy Spirit. Sunday is Epiphany Sunday, and it will be a sort of union of those two definitions as we are focusing on journey, and the challenge that often occurs when we arrive at a destination we’ve been at before, but because we went on the journey and had an epiphany, we see the destination very differently. I remember returning home after five+ months attending college in Sweden, and it was a struggle. I was changed by the experience, yet I returned to a world that appeared unchanged and generally interested in my change. People were okay looking at a few photos and listening to a couple of stories, but no one wanted to help me process what it meant to reenter an old world as a very different person. Those who follow Jesus, especially those who see themselves as an ongoing work in progress, will again and again feel out of place in a setting that was once very familiar. In 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds us how we are a new creation through our relationship with Christ, yet as new creations, we remain residents of what can appear very old from our new vantage point. And it requires a time of reorienting before we can actually figure out how to live faithfully in light of our epiphany. 

Provide me patience, Eternal God, as I seek to become the person you are calling me to be. It can feel strange as I find myself returning to a part of my life that simply cannot see or understand the change that has occurred. I believe you will give me guidance. Amen.