By Maggie Morey
Did you catch it? The turning of the year and the changing of the seasons, I mean.
Like many years, this changing of the calendar caught me off guard. In the midst of Advent preparations and holiday travels, 2026 snuck up on me. How did the changing of the year find you? Whether it found you frantic with trying to make the magic of the season happen, grieving the changes of this last year or shouting good riddance as the clock counted down, the new year that has been creeping ever closer is here.
And today, we complete the Nativity scene. The Magi have finally made it to the holy family, and another Christmas has come and gone. The last five weeks, we have seen the Nativity grow, have watched it move closer to the fullness of Christmas with the arrival of shepherds and sheep, Mary and Joseph and then eventually the baby Jesus. This morning, we are reminded that the birth of the Word made flesh is only the beginning. That this baby who caught the attention of Magi and a vengeful king grows into the teacher, healer and troublemaker we know.
Let worship this morning be a reminder that this is not only a new beginning. Let our time together be a reminder that the feel of a fresh start the new year brings is not meant to hold demands of the future but rather an invitation to the good news that is already being worked out in the world and our lives.
And this year, we continue the tradition of “star words,” words meant to be carried with us throughout the year not as a benchmark or an expectation, but as an invitation to attentiveness — an invitation to check in with yourself and with God as you move through the year.
Like the Magi who followed that bright star first to Herod, then to the child savior, we are called to attentiveness, to curiosity as we move through the days of our lives. What surprises await us this year? What will the good news look like in the days, weeks and months to come?
As you prepare yourself for worship, rest in the invitation to curiosity without judgment or expectation. The new year is here, and so are you.