01-04-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 4, 2026
First, it is Camel Walk Sunday. I hope you plan to be at Meyer Park a little before 10 a.m. to join in the Camel Parade down Cypresswood Drive. If you park your car at Meyer Park, we will have drivers available after worship to drive you back to the park to pick up your car. 

But in light of the Magi making what was probably a rather demanding, even risky journey inspired by their curiosity, I invite you to ponder journeys you’ve taken over the years. They might have been geographic, emotional, spiritual, or a combination. Your journey might have been a very intentional decision, or maybe it was something thrust upon you by an unexpected event, even a tragedy. Especially if it was not a choice, it is really important to acknowledge the journey you are on—a journey of grief that seeks a new normal, whatever that might look like. Or perhaps it is a hard decision to leave behind an unhealthy relationship because you are beginning to own the command to love neighbor and self, recognizing that the latter is as important as the former. Of course, for someone reading this, it might be the decision to take those first few steps that comes from a deep conviction that God is calling you to go on a journey. And though the destination might be unclear, God’s calling and unconditional commitment to walk with you every step of the way provides enough courage to move forward into the unknown. Whatever your journey might currently be or whatever journey you will soon find yourself beginning, I pray for strength of conviction as I believe God’s love will remain fully present to you no matter what unexpected obstacles might come your way.

​For all the journeys I have taken and all those that remain ahead of me, I pray for peace, confidence, and an unwavering desire to be faithful in both the journey and any necessary waiting that comes along the way. As I seek to be faithful, I trust that you will be faithful, my Creator and Guide. Amen.