Preached at Holy Innocents Episcopal School
Epiphany All-School Chapel: January 11, 2024
I am so excited to be here in this space in this season of Epiphany with all of you today. I’m excited because communities like this—Episcopal Schools—the students, teachers, chaplains, administration, the learning, the worship, the growing… all of it has had such a profound impact on my life. And it’s just so fun to be in this room and think about the impact this place is having on all of you and the impact you will all have on the world.
I grew up going to an Episcopal School for 10 years… from 3-yo preschool all the way up through 6th grade. Our chapel schedule was a little different from yours. We had chapel every day! Morning prayer Monday through Thursday and Holy Eucharist every Friday. All of it in the gym, which was nowhere near this big.
Oh, I loved that community. And I loved the prayers we prayed and the hymns we sang together—so much so, that here I am, an Episcopal Priest. Despite growing up in other churches on Sundays, in other wonderful denominations, the Episcopal liturgy of daily chapel services really took hold of my heart. Interestingly, two other people in my grade school class became priests in the Episcopal Church as well. That’s 10%. I think that means the odds are pretty high that someone in this room could be a priest someday… and chances are… it’s not the person you expect.
There’s another reason I’m excited—or maybe the word is honored—to be here today. And that’s because it’s David’s last Eucharist as a chaplain in this community. You see, the last time David left one place to be called to another, he was leaving me to come to you! I was so sad to be losing him as a peer, and St. Luke’s was so sad to be losing him as a priest. But I was also so excited because I knew that God was calling him to this place, and I could see how God had been preparing him to join all of you in community.
I have loved watching him grow alongside all of you the past 7 years. He has been holding space for you to learn and explore. He has been preparing you to discover the light of Christ in this place and beyond. He has been preparing you to think for yourself and believe for yourself—because yourself is what God delights in most. And… you have been preparing him, too. We rarely know what we are preparing others for, and I doubt you knew you were preparing David to serve another community. But that is what you have done, and you have done it well. I want you to feel good about all that you have shared with David, and I want you to know that all of it travels with him in his heart to the next community he is called to serve.
But enough about David. Let’s talk about this Gospel.
When I talked about Epiphany in the Cathedral Preschool Chapel yesterday, I focused on the star. And I told them the truth—I told them that each and every one of them is a star. In the same way that the star in Matthew’s Gospel points to Jesus and helps the wise wanderers find their way, each one of us, when we shine, points to God’s presence in the world.
And how do we shine? Do we walk around with a flashlight all the time? No. Do we process through our day with candles and torches? No. Do we cover our faces in glitter? No. At least not every day.
We shine when we share God’s love. We shine when we help one another. We shine when we speak the truth.
And—you want to know when we shine the very most?
When we are ourselves. When we are the people God created us to be.
If you try to be someone else, your light might twinkle a little.
But to really shine, you have to be the fullest expression of yourself.
Now, I know that some of us might be trying to figure out who we are. The older we get, the bigger that question becomes. It’s normal. And sometimes it’s fun to try on different things and see what fits. But it can also be hard or exhausting.
If that’s you, maybe this Epiphany season is less about being a star and more about being one of the wise wanderers. Maybe this season is about looking at the vast expanse of the heavens above—wow!—and then looking inward where we feel most at home. Maybe this season is about finding our way, asking questions, discovering new truths. Maybe, maybe, we’ll stumble upon God being born again, because God is always waiting to be born.
Whether you are a star shining so brightly, pointing to God’s presence in this world, or whether you are wandering around in hopes of discovering something true, you are right where you need to be. And God loves you exactly as you are.
Amen.
lauren laughs 