by Pr. Lauren Dow Wegner
We just returned home from an incredible trip to Big Bend National Park. We love that place. We’ve been twice now, and we feel like experts. But that’s because we’ve studied it, mapped it out, scoured recommendations, and explored the options to make the absolute most of our trips.
As we drove through the park one morning, Dave said, “You know, I always love going to new places–places we’ve never been. But there’s something really cool about going *back* to places we know and love, discovering them again.”
Today is Epiphany, which is a day about journeys. The magi traveled from the east, searching for a mystery that was to be revealed to them. All they knew was to follow the star. They hadn’t been this way before. They hadn’t had the chance to map it out, study the path, think through all the options. They just went.
It’s timely that Epiphany falls at the turn of a new year. We’re all just following the star. We have past years to lean on for support, or to gladly leave behind, but we forge ahead into a new year whose mysteries await. Some will be lovely. Some will be devastating. But all will be bathed in the light of the star who guides us and goes before us.
Even when we’ve been someplace before, we can still be surprised by what we find. Our memories exaggerate, our nostalgia deceives us. We never go to the same place, as the same people, more than once. While in Big Bend, I found myself thinking about all that had happened in our lives since we were there two years ago. The photos we attempted to re-create reveal how much we have changed.
So, whether this year looks much the same as last, or whether it looks entirely different than any year before, Epiphany is here to remind us that the mysteries of God are bathed in starlight. And traveling towards mystery is a blessed journey.
