By Maggie Morey
This morning, we are smack dab in the middle between Epiphany and Lent. We are five Sundays removed from when we celebrated Epiphany and received our star words and five Sundays away from Lent. Epiphany, the liturgical season we are in, is a time of celebration and light. This could not feel farther away from the somber, reflective darkness of Lent. In Epiphany, we usher in the incarnation and ministry present in Jesus’ life, and through Lent we prepare for his departure, for his crucifixion and, in turn, his resurrection. And if you are anything like me, perhaps you already feel the coming darkness of Lent. I must admit that in the season of political tumult, natural disasters and the uncertainty of safety for our neighbors, there have been times I wanted to close the shutters of my soul — to wait around for the promise of Easter.
But my friends, we are still in Epiphany. There is still light and celebration if we turn our faces toward it.
Before we move into worship this morning, to open ourselves to the moving of the Spirit, let us remember to look out for the ways in which we are called to celebrate God’s presence, to lean into the hope of the good news, to know that where God works is holy ground.
Our first hymn this morning does just that. “Holy, Holy, Holy,” the first hymn in our hymnal, is a song of orientation toward our belief in the triune God, a song that celebrates the mercy, power and love of God.
It just so happens that this is the second time this morning that “Holy, Holy, Holy” will be played in a Wilshire service. During the Sunday School hour, the fifth grade Sunday School class put on a worship service they planned and prepared for, offering music, preaching and prayer. They wrote their own sermons and picked Scripture and theme and hymns. “Holy, Holy, Holy” was the first hymn that they picked.
So, as we move from the chaos of getting here to the deeper presence of being here, let’s not close the shutters on our souls just yet. Instead, like some of the youngest among us, let us look for the hope to come and the hope that is already present while we sing a joyful noise.