An Epiphany Prayer: January 6th, 2021

O God,
I want to pray, but there is no peace in my heart,
Only a fire of outrage that burns bright.
I want to know what to say, but all that comes forth
Are words not fit for a pastor to say publicly.
I am reminded that today is Epiphany,
The star is shining,
And the Magi are whispering words of wisdom.
“We’ve observed the star at its rising,
Proclaiming the birth of a newborn king.
Where are we to go?”
Where are we to go, indeed?
When we turn to the sages of old, our Scriptures teach us
To look for the unnoticeable,
To search for the undesirable,
To seek the forgotten and forlorn,
To bring our gifts and pay homage—to take notice of those
Whose voices have continuously been silenced by violence and rhetoric.
To listen, and to remember.
We know that this, too, will pass,
Kings and kingdoms rise and fall;
But we will return home by another way.
For we cannot go back, we can only go forward.
We cannot unlearn, we can only learn anew.
We can choose to remain in fear, or we can choose hope.
And hope does not disappoint, as the Scriptures remind us.
But hope can be painful. Hope can hurt,
Because Hope requires an awakening to what is real.
But Hope stretches beyond, and leads us on,
As the star did long ago.
O God of Wonder, Love, and Light,
Lead us on, Lord, Lead us on.