The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
JAN 2019
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Issue No. 1
Follow the Star A Message from Pastor Shawn
When New Years Day comes it is always tempting for me to think that I am going to make some kind of change in my life. Sometimes it is that I am going to take up more healthy habits like eating better, exercising more, watching less television and reading more books. The beginning of a new year is also a time when I wonder what will happen in the new year. I think about the places that I plan to travel during the year for vacations and conferences. I wonder about what unexpected things will happen, what new people will come into my life and what loses I will experience. In the church year January brings the season of Epiphany. With Christmas we have the birth of Jesus, the celebration of God breaking into human history and living among us. Epiphany celebrates the stories when we see who Jesus really is. Epiphany is when someone has that “ah ha” moment, maybe when Jesus does a miracle or something points to the fact that Jesus is sent from God. One of those is the story of the Magi or the “Kings” who discover a scientific wonder in the sky and get on their camels to follow it. They confer with rulers and historians and religious scholars, only to find a child with humble parents in even more humble surroundings. The Magi find this one of a different culture, different religion, but someone who will make an impact on the world, breaking down the walls of nationality, culture, religion and time. As the Magi returned to their homeland, I wonder how these scientists of their day were impacted by this encounter with Jesus. Did it impact their continuing studies or their relationships? Who did they tell and what did they say? As we enter Epiphany as a church family, I wonder what “ah ha” moments we will have. I am excited that we are planning to welcome two teachers from Bamaw, Myanmar, who will
come to live among us while studying for masters degrees at the University of Redlands. I am wondering what it will be like to prepare for their coming and make arrangements for their stay. How will we see Jesus as we develop friendships with them and begin to see how God has worked in and through them as they have lived in a place that doesn’t have the same kind of religious freedom that we have? Who else will God bring into our church family this year? What new gifts and talents and passions will we see in our young people as they grow into who God is shaping them to be? And not just our young people, but what will we discover in those of us who are older, but continue to seek out what God wants to do with us? What are other ways that we will experience Epiphany this year? Will there be moments that we will see and hear Jesus in each other? Will we see God at work in ordinary places or unexpected encounters? Will we meet the Spirit of God in worship, Bible study, service, meditation, silence or fellowship? As we begin a new year, may we be like the Magi, who, when they saw something new, they set out to discover what it was and what it meant. May we be adventurous enough to look for God in the expected and unexpected places. May we see Jesus in each other and the people that come into our lives, even when it is hard. May we find what the Spirit of God is doing in our lives and all around us and join in. May we follow the star! Happy New Year! Grace and Peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn