Epiphany 2022: Cracks of Light

There is a crack a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in.
                 —Leonard Cohen 

Epiphany reminds us that right here, right now, in the midst of your darkness, your story, in the midst of your pocket of space and time, God is manifesting. The invitation of Epiphany is to search with curiosity and hope for this manifestation of Immanuel, God-with-us.

There’s a complication in the story line, however. If you live long enough, you will find you have a long litany of times that God has NOT shown up for you in the ways you wanted or hoped. 

This complicates the invitation of Epiphany. Our eyes stop searching and our curiosity languishes when we lose hope that there is any manifestation of God worth seeing. “God, what CAN I expect of you, when you failed to meet these other expectations?”

One way of answering this question is to go back to scriptures. What are the repeating patterns in scripture that reveal how God manifests in the realm of space and time? By noting how God repeatedly works in Scripture, we are given clues to where the cracks of light might be hiding in front of us.

What can we expect when God manifests in the world? I took this question to the lectionary, settling on the Old Testament passages chosen for this season of Epiphany. Sequentially, I asked: “How does God manifest here, in this passage?” Then, “How is, or isn’t, this pattern repeated in Jesus?” If it is truly a manifestation of God, and not merely a manifestation of our human ideas about God, there will be continuity between the two, the image of God made manifest in the Old Testament, and the image of God made manifest in Jesus. After my prayerful pondering and study, I used the text to finish this sentence: ”God is one whom…”

This week, if your curiosity is languishing, I invite you to read the entirety of this passage: Isaiah 43:1-7. What do YOU see? How would YOU complete the sentence “God is one whom…” Spend time with this description of God you have created by completing this sentence. How have you experienced God in this way? How might God be showing up in this way for you now?
 
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 
I have called you by name, you are mine…
Do not fear, for I am with you.”
 

Zooming Through January

Due to current surge in Covid cases, we are going to meet over zoom for January. Please be in touch with Anne or Karin if your family is affected and needs support or assistance.See you on Zoom this Sunday!

Sun. Jan. 23, 10:00 am
Speaker: Anne Smith with Luc DesChamps
A Glimpse of One Who Delights
Isaiah 62: 1-5

Sun. Jan. 30, 10:00 am
Speaker: Anne Smith
A Glimpse of One Who Nourishes
Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5, 6, 8-10 

Sun. Feb. 6 
Speaker: Anne Smith
A Glimpse of One Who Consecrates
Jeremiah 1: 4-10

Sun. Feb. 13
Speaker: Anne Smith
A Glimpse of One Who Sends
Isaiah 6: 1-8 (9-13)

Sun. Feb. 20
Speaker: Anne Smith
A Glimpse of One Who Preserves
Genesis 45: 3-11, 15

Sun. Feb. 27 All Out
No service this Sunday

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

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