The Pastor’s Study – February 2023
by: Rev. Alex Molozaiy
The season of Epiphany can get overlooked by many churchgoers. Tucked between Christmas and the big lead up to Easter that is Lent, it’s tempting to see Epiphany as “flyover country,” what we have to go through between our most significant holidays.
To me, at least this year, the season of Epiphany seems more important. Perhaps because it’s longer than usual with a later start to Lent, but I think it’s something bigger than that. Epiphany is about Jesus starting the Church from scratch. It’s about Jesus calling a motley bunch of people from all walks of life to ‘follow me,’ and they get up, leave their past behind, and go where he goes. As they follow him (and as the word itself implies), Epiphany is about his disciples coming to the realization that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. Whatever the future holds, no matter how foreboding it may seem at the time, it is in his loving and powerful hands.
At the present, as we are about to head into our Annual Meeting, the upcoming year holds significant challenges to the future of our congregation. Thankfully, most of these are financial in nature as opposed to spiritual, but they are significant nonetheless. If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to read the article in the last issue of The Beacon titled “Demystifying Church Finances.” [It’s on Page 5 of this link.] It gives an overview of the church’s resources and outlines their appropriate uses. As we face a tight year with tough choices to make, work to restructure our church governance, all while looking to expand our welcome and personal growth – it begins to look daunting. But in Epiphany we remember who it is we’re following. No matter what the future holds, it is in his loving and powerful hands.