It’s the first Sunday of the New Year - a good time to have our vision checked.  In Proverbs 29:18 we read: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  What is your vision for this First United Methodist Church of Ashland?  What does it mean to you that we’re called to be the Body of Christ in this community?  Do you believe that God is able to do a new thing in this New Year? 

It’s not realistic to think that everyone is going to have exactly the same vision, but obviously the more agreement and unity we have concerning a common vision the more likely we are to work harmoniously together in order to make it happen. 

As a church family we’ve expressed overwhelming support for the building program, but we’re not all of one mind over just exactly what gets built, when it gets built, or at what cost. People have strong feelings, and that is good.  But, for the common good, there is obviously going to have to be compromise, some give and take, and not everyone is going to get exactly what they want, when they want it.  And, as far as the financing is concerned, I can’t see any way around the fact that some people are going to feel like we’ve done the wrong thing no matter what we end up doing.  It is a challenge, but I have confidence that God is in the midst of this project and, if we are willing to have faith and continue to pray for guidance, I believe we’re up to whatever challenges come our way

I think we all want to build as much as we can just as soon as we can, and I know we all want to build responsibly.  I have certain practical, logistical hopes, as well as certain heartfelt, spiritual prayers.   My hope is that we can find the closest thing there is to a win-win situation.  My prayer is that no matter when whatever we build gets built, and at what cost, we are able, by the grace of God, to maintain the precious unity and fellowship of this church family that nourishes us all. 

Today we celebrate our unity with Christ and our fellowship with one another through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  Interestingly enough, we are also celebrating Epiphany, a Greek word that means manifestation or appearance. It’s what we see!  We’re celebrating our vision of the power and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our scripture this morning recounts the Epiphany to the Magi, who saw and followed a star.  The Magi were of a different nationality and religion, but they followed their vision until, discovering the Christ child, they honored him as a newborn King.  So - this very morning, Epiphany Sunday, is a celebration of the diversity of the Gospel.  Our faith is not just for people who all look alike, act alike, and agree with one another on every social, political and theological issue.  The very essence of our faith is that it transcends all the differences that we use to divide ourselves. 

The significance of the Wise Men for us is that they had a spiritual vision, a vision that translated into action. They were seekers after truth who believed in divine guidance.  They were looking for signs of God's presence in the world, and they believed that God was able to do a new thing.

It's been said that those who are wise still seek him.  Have you ever wondered just exactly what that means?  Consider the alternatives.  Good people may have different visions, be looking for different things or believe in different roads to the same destination.  But, in the final analysis, if we're not looking for something spiritual, we're looking for more of the same.  If we’re not looking to God, we’re looking to ourselves.  There is only one alternative to having a spiritual vision, and that is having no spiritual vision.   The alternative to believing in divine guidance through prayer and seeking God’s will is to simply trust in ourselves, in our own resources and abilities as though they are ultimately all we have to believe in and rely on.  No star chasing.  No journey in search of the manger; just business as usual.  That sounds like a heavy, heavy load to carry, and that’s why I believe that those who are wise still seek him.  I pray we are praying and looking to God and not just ourselves for guidance, because “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” 

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."  The Wise Men risked everything to follow the star.  Are we following the star?  My prayer for this church, and I'm sure it's your prayer as well, is that we continue to search and to seek God’s guidance, trusting and believing that God will make a way.  Like the Wise Men of old, it’s up to us to catch the vision and follow the star - to wherever it may lead us.

And, finally, do you remember how the story of the Wise Men ends?  It says that after they discovered Christ they knelt down and offered him their gifts.  And then, arising, "they returned home by another way."  They didn't go back the way they had come, because they were different!  They had caught a vision and, following that vision, they had been transformed.  May we offer him our gifts.  May we be transformed.

May God grant us an Epiphany of New Life in Christ.  May we catch the vision of what Christ would have us do and be, and may we be transformed by that vision into bold disciples for Jesus Christ.  May we greet the promise of tomorrow with joy, with the hope and the confidence that comes from having followed our vision and worshipped our Lord.  In the power of his name and in the glory of his Spirit we pray.  Amen.