A Note

From Pastor Mark

Dear Ones,

As the New Year begins, Matthew 2:12 (the text for Epiphany, January 6) offers a quiet but powerful word of guidance: “Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” The Magi’s journey did not end at the manger. Encountering Christ changed not only their destination, but their direction.

The New Year often invites us to keep moving forward on familiar paths—habits, routines, assumptions that feel safe because they are known. Yet this verse reminds us that faithfulness sometimes means listening for God’s warning and being willing to choose a different road. The Magi trusted that God’s guidance, even when it disrupted their plans, would lead them toward life and away from harm.

As we step into a new year, we do so with dreams, hopes, and perhaps fears. Matthew 2:12 invites us to pause and ask, where might God be redirecting us? What paths no longer serve love, justice, or faith? Following Christ may call us to leave behind old routes marked by fear, resentment, or complacency, and to walk a road shaped by courage, compassion, and trust.

The New Year is not just about turning the calendar, but about being open to transformation—returning home changed, and choosing, by God’s grace, another way forward.

May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds as we step into a new year—hopeful, grateful, and filled with expectation for all that God will do among us.

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Mark

Contact Pastor Mark at: pastormark@sotpmail.com