Dear Edwards Church Community,

This plaque with the Breton fisherman’s prayer (“O God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small”) was given by Admiral Hyman Rickover, then in command of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet, to President John F. Kennedy. Rickover knew that  Kennedy survived his small boat, the PT-109, being sunk in combat in the South Pacific during WWII. Kennedy also sailed yachts off Cape Cod before and after his time in the Navy. The prayer had special significance for him; he had experienced both the uplifting beauty and the frightening vulnerability of life in a small boat.

And isn’t that true for all of us? Our journey through life consists in large part of   trying to get safely from one place to another, interacting with the forces of nature and human society, hoping all the while to discover, latch onto, or construct meaning and maybe even contribute to something with greater meaning than our individual mortal selves, something we can expect to survive into the future.

For many of us, that greater meaning is family of one form or another. It is a primal bond associated with shared survival and shared experiences that weave people together with shared meaning over time. For many, the church family is a big part of that. Careers and other   creative outlets can also be powerful sources of meaning, connecting people in shared experiences and providing a framework in which to grow, contribute and be appreciated over time.

The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai

Think of Noah and the ark in Genesis, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway or, even better, the first disciples of Christ in a small boat in a storm. Think of navigating the medical system with a seriously ill family member, or launching a new  business or a new, untested career direction in your previously stable life. “O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.”

Ideally, our families – whether family of origin, chosen family, or church family – and our creative pursuits both provide a healthy mix of support and challenge. They provide support in the form of personal relationships with people who know us over time and care about us. They provide challenge in the form of supporting our forward progress by helping us to do better with honest, carefully considered observations about how we use our talents and other resources. Depending on the setting, we are more or less required to take these observations seriously and consider changing course.

Early in the pandemic, I wrote in a Spire letter that crises like the one we were facing (and are still navigating) tended to reveal flaws in any structure. Since then, many have commented   extensively about the racial, economic and other flaws in our society, which were put into sharp relief by the pandemic. Doubtless we have all felt stress and shown its effects in our private and work lives too.

We have been through a major storm and it has taken a toll. And we will keep sailing. Indeed, remnants of the pandemic storm linger, but it now feels safe to say it is  fading. There may be gusts, but it is fading. We have a very sound ship, and we have a bright star to steer by in our sense of shared purpose. As we enter a new year, may God grant us all fair winds and deeper connections to each other in that shared purpose.

With faith, in hope, for love,

Michael

From the Minister of Faith Formation

Dear Beloved of God,

The Twelve Days of Christmas culminate on January 6 – Epiphany.  Derived from the Greek word epipmaneia which means “manifestation” or “appearance,” Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men or Magi, having been guided by a star, at the home of the Christ Child and the presentation of their gifts to him.

The second chapter in the Gospel of Matthew provides the only accounts of:

the visit of the Magi, their presentation of gifts to the Christ child, and their departure

by another route (2:1-12)

the message of the angel to Joseph telling him to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt as

King Herod intended to kill the child (2:13-15)

the massacre of the infants (2:16-18)

the return of the Holy Family to Nazareth (2:19-23)

In reading the Matthean account, we don’t know for sure how many Magi there were or where exactly their journey started…only that “wise men came from the east.”  We are told that they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  While we have adopted the names of Balthazar, Casper, and Melchior, the author of the Gospel of Mark does not name them.

The arrival of the Magi is often conflated with the Nativity story; however, Jesus was probably between 1 ½ and 2 years old when the Magi arrived with their gifts. (Personal note: all magi and camels in my nativity scenes are placed in different rooms and move closer each day to the nativity scene and Holy Family).

Epiphany is often referred to as “Universal Christmas” as it recalls the disclosure of the Christ child for all people.  In Syria and Lebanon, Epiphany Eve is known as the Night of Destiny, when trees bowed down in remembrance of the night the trees bent down to show the Magi the path away from the violence Herod would inflict.

The liturgical color for Epiphany is white and the color for the four – six weeks (depending upon the liturgical calendar) after Epiphany is green. Much happens during the season after Epiphany: through scripture we learn that Jesus is baptized, tempted in the wilderness, begins his ministry, call his first disciples, teaches, heals and is transfigured.

What follows are some activities and/or links you and your family members might engage in during Epiphany:

• https://buildfaith.org/guiding-stars-an-epiphany-activity-at-home perhaps consider a theme, a longing you would like to be guided by in the coming year.
• Take a faith walk after dark. Look for the brightest star in the sky.  When you find one, retell or remember the story of the Magi presenting their gifts to the Christ child (Matthew 2: 1-12)
• Bake and decorate star cookies to share
• Make a three king’s cake to celebrate the day. There are many recipes on the internet.

The following books for the young and older are available in my office and may be shared in church school:

• They Followed a Bright Star based on a poem by Joan Alavedra, and illustrated by Ulises Wendell. A story of shepherds and kings and others who may have seen the star.
• The Christmas Star by Marcus Pfister. Shepherds, kings and all the animals of the forest follow the guiding star to where the Holy Child lays.
• The Legend of Old Befana by Tomi DePaulo. The story of an elderly woman who, legend says, was visited by the Magi on their way to find the Christ Child

Epiphany, manifestation…I wonder how we as a congregation and as individuals will make manifest the Christ in our lives and the world as we enter yet another new year…our God is surely with us in doing so.

Blessings,

Deb

To read the whole SPIRE click here.