Aloha! We are now in the season of Epiphany, which began with the coming of the Magi from distant lands to worship the newborn King. In last week’s Epistle, I shared that Epiphany is a season of light, as we, along with the Magi, have followed the bright star in the sky to come and see the glory of the newborn King. And now we journey in the light of Epiphany until we enter the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 5. Last Sunday we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord, and we explored the gospel lesson of Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, which tells the story of John’s baptism of his cousin Jesus in the Jordan River. God’s words for Jesus ring in our ears— “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And we considered what they must have meant to Jesus as he faced his wilderness temptation. We renewed our own baptismal vows with a sprinkling of water from our baptismal font, and learned that we too can draw courage from these powerful words to help us fulfill our baptismal vows, because we too are God’s beloved and God is well pleased in us! I hope you will hold those words in your heart and carry them with you through this season of light. This Sunday, January 19, we will dive into John 2:1-11, the story of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned jugs full of water into fine wine. Through this passage, and through all the Scripture texts we’ll hear this Sunday, God’s light shines. And God calls us to shine the light for others to see. How might we do that in these times that can seem so dark? Let’s find out together how to “shine the light.” Please keep in mind that our Annual Meeting will be held after our worship service on January 26, which fittingly is also our Patronal Feast Day—the church celebrates Saints Timothy and Titus on this day. Please plan to be with us for this important meeting. We hope to have the Annual Report booklet available for you to pick up this Sunday so you can read the reports ahead of time, and then bring your questions with you. We will also vote for new Bishop’s Committee members and Diocesan Convention delegates. If you can bring a dish for our refreshments, we would be grateful! We look forward together to God’s guidance in this new year ahead. Dear sisters and brothers, may blessings abound in the year ahead. You are in my prayers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and
our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you and your loved ones. Aloha Ke Akua! Fr. Pete+
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