Ephesians 3:1-12
I have never believed in New Year’s resolutions, so, as I look back at this past year, I have asked myself a series a questions and am setting new goals throughout the year, not just at the beginning of the year. Instead of making resolutions, I work on life changes. Did you know that research says that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are actually kept? I wonder why. I think it’s because most resolutions are just a wish, not a goal or a lifestyle change. A lifestyle change requires daily disciplines that will take us from where we are to where we want to be.
Instead of just making resolutions, what if we face not only each year but each day with goals that are anchored by new and improved habits? Consider the lesson of the magi. They were willing to risk following someone else’s star instead of their own. So, they set out to be led by the star that appeared to them as a gift from heaven. It led them to the Christ child. When they found him, they gave him gifts.
What is this star that is not of our own making? It is the star of faith. Faith, like the star that led the magi, is God’s gift to us, a light for our souls, and it always leads us to Jesus. Faith is a gift that everyone can receive. May we always find the bright shining star that leads us in the right direction.
I hear so many people talking about wanting to change their lives, but they are not willing to make the daily choices that create that true change. So, I encourage you to keep on the journey. Trust the way. The star will stop for each of us, and when it does, we can kneel, worship, and choose joy. Even when Herod enacted his evil schemes, God was with them and is still with us.
Love is here, born into the world. Offer your gifts. Travel light. Give thanks. Pay attention to your dreams. What God requires, God provides. May we always follow the bright shining star that leads us in the right direction for 2025.
Rev. Jann Osborn
1/5/2025
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