Good Morning, Digital Neighbors! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (the traditional date is January 6, which falls on Tuesday this year). Most people will pack up their Christmas decorations then, if they haven’t already. The Magi followed the star, and it led them to the Christ Child. Countless others saw the star but ignored it; some wondered briefly what it might mean before moving on with their lives. The Magi, however, saw it, pondered it, and pursued it. Their long journey from home led them to venerate this Child, whose royal, divine, and mortal nature their gifts symbolized. The Gospels unpack those symbols to reveal the fullness of faith for disciples of Christ.
I have often preached to my flocks in various churches that God is still sending us signs. Like the star, many people do not even notice them. A few may pause momentarily to wonder but soon return to everyday life. Only a rare few—those who are curious, seeking, and convinced there is more to life than the here and now—will venture beyond the comforts of the present to pursue the meaning of these signs and make a pilgrimage of veneration and transformation. The pursuit of the sign is every bit as important as accepting its revelation; the journey itself becomes acceptance of its reality.
I believe God still sends signs—most of them simple and humble, though occasionally some are monumental and life-changing. Every sign is an invitation to awaken spiritually, to strengthen spiritually, or to be saved spiritually. You do not have to be a person of faith to receive or perceive signs, but faith makes one more receptive. Moses had his burning bush, and Peter his miraculous catch of fish—neither was at the peak of faith in that moment. Their faith was minimal and marginal. Both were immersed in the ordinary—tending flocks, cleaning nets—when the Divine suddenly and unexpectedly knocked. Those were dramatic signs; most of us will never receive anything like them. But—and there is always a but—I believe God is sending subtle, humble signs into your life right now.
Most of the time, these signs simply confirm truths I now take as given: God is real, God is paying attention to your life, and God loves you. Sometimes the messages go deeper, but almost every day I experience some coincidence or serendipitous moment that makes me pause. For an unbeliever or a spiritual “sleepwalker,” such signs are either missed or dismissed. Many baptized but unawakened people dismiss them regularly, too.
If you are waiting for something inescapably obvious, you probably never will experience it—your mind will be preconditioned to explain it away. No one suffers more from confirmation bias these days than God does. Decades, perhaps even centuries, of portraying Him as a “Sky-Santa” have tainted expectations, so He is often dismissed as fanciful—something for children or the desperate. On top of that, the real scandals caused by His followers haven’t helped. Faith in the Risen One can be a hard pill to swallow when you look at His followers, or when you imagine the Triune God as a wish-factory, cosmic fire extinguisher, or “make-everything-right” life manager. Yet His revelation describes none of those roles—though His followers often act as if it did.
He is a God of covenant, conversion, and holiness. He advocates for life and goodness and shows genuine concern for how we treat one another. Scripture highlights His particular care for the widow and the orphan. If you focus only on the harm done by His followers, you will likely never come to faith in this personal God. The reasons to discount, disbelieve, or simply not be bothered are plentiful. The reason to believe is that you accept it as true. The reason to act on it is that you believe it matters. The doing leads to the changing. The Magi did more than wonder—they pursued. I pray that in this new year you remain open to the signs God sends you. My prayer and friendship are there for anyone seriously seeking the Giver of all good gifts.
