SHINING NEW BEGINNING!

Shining New Beginning

Dear brothers and sisters!

2025 is here. January begins with the feast of Epiphany [technically, it begins with the Circumcision of Jesus on January 1st, but I’ll make my point]. Thinking about Epiphany, we celebrate the arrival of the wisemen to worship Jesus. They saw the star while they were East of Judea, they came to Jerusalem, for it is the city of the King, and to their surprise no one was expecting them. No one had even heard of the birth of the new King, Messianic ruler of the World. Herod was consumed with his own sense of power: he is known for murdering his own offspring for alleged conspiracy. He did not want any competition.  When we see him attempting to find out the time of Jesus birth, it obviously was not driven by pious reasons. We know how the story ends with him–special forces were commanded to go to Bethlehem and kill all babies under 2 years of age.

Yet, at the same time the wisemen were guided to Jesus. By that time the whole family had moved from the manger to a house (I would assume local real estates agents did their job right). How did they find the house?  That’s when the star had its “star” time (excuse me for a pun). The light of God’s special creation led them to the place where Mary was busy with the Child. They came and worshipped the Savior, offering Him the precious gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  

As January opens for us a path to a new year, let us think, pray, and use the gifts of the wisemen in our lives through new challenges and opportunities. The gift of myrrh was a symbol of generational change – we are on the right track to open Zion’s preschool, reaching out with the light of the Gospel to the next generation. Our choir and Bell choir, like a frankincense to the LORD, sound better every time, glorifying God with every sound. And the true gold of the family of Zion is our people, who are becoming more and more active in their volunteering opportunities. Love it – Zion is great!