A Call for Prayer
January 6, 2021
Instructed by King Herod, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So, they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country. Matt. 2: 9-12, The Message
Today protestors stormed the US Capitol building, breaching police lines and barriers during the orderly debate inside.
Today we pray that order and safety will prevail at the Capitol.
Today we pray that order and safety will prevail in Washington.
Today we pray that order and safety will prevail in cities, towns, & homes around our nation.
Today is also Epiphany. You know the story (Matthew 2: 1- 12). King Herod hears news that his power is being challenged. He is frightened, disturbed, and troubled. He secretly calls on the Magi to find Jesus so he can put a stop to any threats to his control. The child we know as Jesus the Christ, was born into a chaotic, tumultuous, and struggling world.
Enter the wise Magi. I want to embrace their spirit. After traveling for days, being sequestered by a king, they continue to travel. Then, they meet Jesus and Mary. They are overjoyed. They bow, kneel, and worship. Before they leave, they share gifts, and then they rest. They go to sleep! We usually skip right to the part of the story where they “go home by another way.” But before they start their journey home, they slept. We know because verse seven references a dream. Can you imagine submitting to slumber and rest after meeting the Messiah child? Their adrenaline was pumping; they were overjoyed. Their minds must have been racing trying to figure out what Herod was up to. It is not a time to sleep.
It was in their surrender to sleep, time to rest, that they heard God’s divine direction in a dream. In their immense wisdom, they listened. Because of their attentiveness to the God of the Universe, they were able to open their eyes and to see what was really going on around them. Herod wanted to kill the Christ Child. Herod was afraid of God’s work in the world and wanted to stifle God’s Spirit of justice and jubilee for all people.
God calls us to attentively listen to where the Spirit is guiding us, to follow the Christ Child who is our Savior in our common life together and to worship the God of Creation, the God of the Universe.
These times are scary, but they also hold immense potential for our lives and our values to be transformed by God’s generosity and grace.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,
Deborah Foster
Presbytery Leader & Stated Clerk
Foothills Presbytery
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.