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 Then shall you see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice. Isaiah 60:5  

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you!  

At church, we are going to begin the New Year with a new theme: Celebrate!  It’s a fitting theme to carry us through the Holidays.  You’ve been celebrating (I hope!) the birth of Christ for the past week, and next week we will celebrate a new year.  

Some celebrations will be more raucous than others.  I certainly don’t party like I used to – if I make it to 11pm it may be a New Year’s miracle.  Some years Kirstin and I might pop open a bottle of wine or champagne, but with baby coming in six weeks, I would have to finish it by myself.  So this year it might just be some board games and then straight to bed! Tame would be a generous descriptor, but we will still find ways to celebrate.  

Of course, we forget sometimes that God wants us to celebrate, and not only is it fun, but it’s good for our souls too.   

This week we are going be celebrating light. We use light in celebrations all the time.  Think about the fourth of July: fireworks.  How do we celebrate birthdays?  Candles on a cake!   

But on Epiphany, we celebrate light itself.  We’ll hear the story of the star that guides the wise men to Jesus.  We’ll celebrate a light that shines in the darkness and could not be overcome.  And we’ll talk about how that light is in each of us.  

We hope you can celebrate with us on Sunday as we rejoice in this New Year with radiant and joyful hearts!