Epiphany 2026

"Now the season of looking for Him everywhere is upon us — the season of Epiphany is what they call it.  Heads up. Keep your eyes and ears and hands open. He is everywhere, and He moves in pretty surprising ways. You do not want to miss Him." -Robert Benson 

A Blessing of the Chalk for Marking the Door
God, we ask your blessing on this simple gift—chalk.
It’s a tool for learning,
As we use it to mark our doorway,
we claim this space
May laughter echo here, and may burdens be shared.
May this home be a light in this neighborhood and in the world,
a place where love multiplies, and grace abounds. Amen. 
a symbol of play,
and now, a sign of your presence.
as one of belonging, love, and welcome.
(Mark the doorway with these symbols: 20 C M B [year], recalling the traditional initials of the wise men and the Latin blessing: Christus Mansionem Benedicat —
"Christ, bless this home.")
God, may all who walk through this door find peace and rest.
May all who enter here be received as Christ.

A Blessing of the Home
God, bless this home.
Bless the people who live here,
Let peace settle into every room,
(Take a moment to speak their names aloud in gratitude.)
May their journey remind us
May we see the light of that same star
a shelter in life’s storms,
a haven of rest,
a space where kindness is practiced,
Grant that the gifts within this family
And when we return, may we come home to peace.
the ones who work, rest, and dream under this roof,
and all who cross its threshold.
filling the air with grace.
We pause to remember the friends and family
who have passed through our doors this past year.
For their presence, their laughter,
their love, their connection,
we give thanks.
Long ago, wise travelers followed a star,
bringing gifts to honor the Christ child—
gold for a King,
incense for a God among us,
and myrrh for a life given in love.
to seek what matters most.
in the ordinary moments of our days,
calling us to recognize Christ in our midst.
God, make this house a place of welcome—
and love is abundant.
will be nurtured, shared, and used for the good of all.
When we leave this place, guide us by your light.

More of THIS

 

yes, please-- more of THIS.... 

not sure where I saw this, but more of this.... 

more of THIS- 

annual gathering with these three 

(we started this little reflection time with Malia to celebrate her twins being born and now they are six!) 

more of this too! 

sure love having Anna back home this week for a few more days after her time in the Bay area this weekend

Camino Pilgrimage Gathering

 I am so excited about the opportunity I've been given to help coordinate a trip to Spain next summer to walk part of the Camino de Santiago with a group of young adults and mentors from different churches here in Seattle.  We had our first gathering of folks who will be on the trip at a restaurant tonight, and it was such a treat to welcome everyone to the pilgrimage we are embarking on together.  Here's more about the trip we are taking: Pivot NW Fellows Cohort Program 2022 2023 Arts and Artistry

We will be walking the Portuguese Way this summer-- different than the French Way I did with Mom, Dad, and Anna in September. 

with Celeste and Martin (the other two trip coordinators) 

with Erika, Keagan, Josh, and Brooke (I'll be Erika and Brooke's mentor on the trip as I've been involved with Vision 16 with them the last few years) 

Blessing the Threshold
This blessing
has been waiting for you
for a long time.
While you have been
making your way here
this blessing has been
gathering itself
making ready
biding its time
praying.
This blessing has been
polishing the door
oiling the hinges
sweeping the steps
lighting candles
in the windows.
This blessing has been
setting the table
as it hums a tune
from an old song
it knows,
something about
a spiraling road
and bread
and grace.
All this time
it has kept an eye
on the horizon,
watching,
keeping vigil,
hardly aware of how
it was leaning itself
in your direction.
And now that
you are here
this blessing
can hardly believe
its good fortune
that you have finally arrived,
that it can drop everything
at last
to fling its arms wide
to you, crying
welcome, welcome, welcome.
-Jan Richardson

Open the Door

Friday night dinner 

We stand at the threshold of a new year together.
Open the door, open the door.
Everything that was has already been,
say goodbye with gratitude.
Everything that will be is still arriving,
be not afraid.
 
May the new dawn delight you.
May the long nights rest you.
May the beauty of this world testify to you.
May the laughter of a friend gladden you.
May your hunger instruct you.
 
May the breaking of your heart ground you.
May the sorrows to come with the days also bring mercy to you.
May the hearth of this world be tended by you.
 
May love illuminate everything,
may love illuminate you.
May the altars of your life be ordinary.
May the sanctuary of you hold all that is to be.
 
May your lines fall in pleasant places.
May your longings be satisfied in wonder.
May your creativity be kindled and
may the worlds that your words create speak life.
 
May curiosity guide you to wisdom.
May wisdom guide you to kindness.
May kindness guide you to gentleness.
May gentleness guide you to faithfulness.
May faithfulness guide you to compassion.
And may compassion be your mother tongue,
the song you sing under your breath,
the caress of your hand,
the presence you carry into every room.
 
May the ancient paths guide you.
May your ancestors fortify you.
May the generosity of God astonish you.
May the prayers of the Church uphold you.
May the consolation of the Spirit satisfy you.
May the wild goose dare you.
May the love of Jesus be near to you.
 
Open the door, open the door.
Everything that will be is still arriving
and it comes with all that makes us human and beloved:
the harrowing, the beauty, the terrible, the glorious,
the mundane, the wondrous, the fearful, and the good.
 
Sweep the floors, open the windows, put the kettle on,
welcome it all as a companion.
Everything that is arriving could heal you,
and so you will be part of healing the world at your feet,
as it beckons us further into grace and goodness.
 
May Love be with you this year.
(Love is already with you.)
Open the door. Be not afraid.
-Sarah Bessey

Maybe this year....

Taylor and Josiah rang in the new year with a polar plunge in Lake WA 

New Year's Day run with Liam and Elizabeth 

our friend Elise's son- Haven :) 

sweet gathering with Cedar, Jeanette, Rachel, Genny and Elizabeth 

hot chocolate date with Hannah Langford 

Welcome 2026!

 

God of all time,
help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.
Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
May we cast off the small,
vindictive god our fears have made.
May the grace and peace of Christ bless you now and in the days ahead.

AMEN

-Vanita Hampton Wright

annual photo to welcome the new year 

Colter- our favorite exclamation mark :) 

New Year's Eve dinner

St. Mark's New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk 

time by the fire with Bill & Elizabeth for New Year's Eve last night 

December Twenty- Twenty- Five

After weeks of candles and waiting, of naming the dark and daring to hope, here we are. Christmas. The day when all the Advent crescendos into one outrageous claim: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

This is the culmination of everything Advent has taught us to hold.

Hope—that even in the world’s unfinishedness, God is not done yet.

Peace—not the absence of chaos but God’s presence in it.

Joy—not glittery optimism, but the stubborn delight that arrives anyway.

Love—not sentimental, but embodied in the form of a baby, dependent and vulnerable.

Christmas is God’s declaration that God will not remain distant. Love does not hover above the fray. Love is born into it: among animals and straw, political oppression and family scandal, the ordinary ache of human life. It is the good news that changes everything.

So if your Christmas feels picture-perfect or like a chaotic mess (or both, depending on the moment), you are right where the story has always been. God does not come to the curated, but to the crowded, the tired, the not-ready. God comes to us.

Blessed are we this Christmas,

astonished again at Love made flesh.

Blessed are we who dare to believe:

God is here—

in the dark, in the ordinary,

in us, and for us.

-Kate Bowler