Although I usually welcome the New Year with noise makers, poppers, and party hats, this year I will be using a piece of chalk. On January 6, leaning into an ancient Epiphany tradition of blessing homes, I will write “20+CMB+21 “ above the doors of my home, my study at church, and the sanctuary of St. James Lutheran’s building.
I invite you to join me in this practice. Here is the simple blessing that I will use:
An Epiphany Blessing
The inscription may be made with chalk above the entrance. Write the appropriate character (left) while speaking the text (right). Start in the center with the letters, then move to the numbers, and end with the crosses (left to right).
The magi of old, known as
C Caspar
M Melchior, and
B Balthasar,
Followed the star of God’s Son who came to dwell among us
20 two thousand
21 and twenty-one years ago.
+ Christ, bless this house,
+ and remain with us throughout the new year.
After inscribing the letters/numbers above, you may use this PRAYER OF BLESSING
O God, You revealed your Son to all people by the shining light of a star. We pray that you bless this home and all who live here with your gracious presence. May your love be our inspiration, your wisdom our guide, your truth our light, and your peace our benediction; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Using this blessing, I will mark the doors in hope, yearning for restoration and renewal in the coming year. Just as the magi sought God in the brightness of a star, I seek the light of God in 2021. As the coronavirus vaccine is making its way through our state and nation, there is reason to be optimistic - it won’t be long until we are able to gather in safety without the threat of spreading deadly disease. I look forward to gathering once again in the sanctuary at St. James, of Bible Studies in coffee shops and Senior Living facilities, of going on retreats with confirmation students and youth, of leading a pilgrimage for adults to the Black Hills, and the start of planning for a group pilgrimage to Tanzania. All these things excite my imagination and impatience - I can’t wait!
“Patience,” I tell myself. It will be here soon. In God’s time, these things will come to pass. If the experience of the last 293 days of Covid ministry has taught me anything (and it has been quite the teacher), it is that I can’t script life. Most things are beyond my control.
Instead of trying to conduct, manipulate, and plot - I have found that acceptance is a better path. There is wisdom in receiving life as it is rather than trying to fashion it into my creation. That doesn’t mean resignation or abnegation of responsibility. I have agency. I can and need to do things using the talents and resources at hand. Christ invites all of us into lives of active discipleship.
Opportunities exist, even in pandemics, to reach out with love, to pursue peace and justice, to extend kindness and hospitality. We have many choices and a responsibility to make good ones based upon our faith. That said, our actions, however grand and meaningful, can only make a contribution. We don’t determine the world or life. We are not the creator of the cosmos nor do we exist at the center of the universe. Such arrogance only gets us in trouble and will leave us in despair.
Receiving life as a gift is a profound spiritual exercise that acknowledges God’s presence, action, and invitation. It is by the grace of God that we exist. Each breath, including our final one, comes from our Loving Creator. We are never alone, even in our isolation, because God remains with us. God’s steadfast love embraces, comforts, and challenges us into applying love in what we say and do. We are invited to participate in God’s work of love in a broken world. Healing, reconciling, and showing compassion - this is Christ’s agenda and our work order.
With chalk in my hands, I look forward to starting 2021 with a hope-filled heart, ready to enter the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
In Christ’s Light,
Pastor Walt