Wednesday January 6 was not only the assault on the US Capitol, but it was also Epiphany. Every January 6 we celebrate Epiphany, which means "manifestation"--specifically the manifestation of Jesus to the world.

The biblical text for Epiphany tells of the magi (wise men) visiting Jesus the newborn king. We read that King Herod was so obsessed with keeping power that he ordered a slaughter of baby boys.

We rarely read passages like this in worship, as we would rather avoid issues of power, brutality, and sin. But those issues are real, as we saw on Wednesday.

Like everyone else, I’ve been deeply disturbed by what happened at the Capitol. I’ve been especially troubled by how many people have twisted Christian faith to justify their desire for political power.

Conservative publication “Christianity Today” posted a reflection on Wednesday's events, calling the church to repentance for supporting white nationalism, calling us to follow the Magi—not the MAGA. Click on the image above to read the reflection.

Yes, we as Christians need to be involved in politics. And yes, people of faith have a variety of political opinions. But we need to continually be open to the dangers of idolatry and arrogance, realizing that none of us have a monopoly on truth or ideal Christian faith.

In our worship video for this coming Sunday, January 10, you’ll hear virtually nothing about the chaotic assault on the Capitol on Epiphany or about any of these issues. The majority of the worship service was already recorded before Wednesday afternoon’s events.

We have launched our “Words of Wisdom, Words of Faith” series. This Sunday we hear longtime Covenant member Brad Brown reflecting on “abandonment.” Please join us. More info below.

But the service includes a prayer of confession, as does every service. Every so often, someone asks me why we have to confess our sin every Sunday in worship.

The Bible helps us understand, reminding us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Even if we’re not murdering people or robbing banks, we all have to wrestle with our sin—individually and together.

The Latin American Catholic Church helped us realize that sin isn’t merely an individual thing. Statements from the late 20^th century introduced terms like “structural sin” for Christian reflection.

More recently, we’ve become aware of the social sin of white privilege, which we white people need to address. We’ve also begun to reflect on how sin affects our institutions—police departments, schools, and even churches.

On the liturgical calendar this coming Sunday is “Baptism of the Lord” Sunday and I’ve been thinking about one of the questions we ask at baptism (and when teens are confirmed and when new members join).

As followers of Jesus, every day we need to be connecting with God and doing our best to turn away from sin and evil—wherever it is.

We are called to turn from sin and turn to love. In that spirit, I’m glad that our “love your neighbor” banner is back up in front of the church.

I opened the door and had a pleasant conversation with a member in her 80s, who told me that because of COVID she only goes shopping once a month, so she didn’t have much to offer for the Lussier Center.

After she was gone, I looked in the box and saw a single roll of paper towels.

So if an 80+ year-old can venture out on an icy morning to donate a single roll of paper towels, maybe the rest of us can find the courage and strength to repent from our foolishness, love our neighbors, and work together for the common good. 

On the journey, apart-but-together,

Charlie

PS-Here is part of a prayer-hymn in the spirit of turning away from sin, which has helped me this week:

Rev Carolyn Winfrey Gillette writes text for familiar tunes. Read the rest of this prayer-hymn here: God of Love, We've Known Division

Covenant members have been reflecting on words of our faith for the "Words of Wisdom, Words of Faith" congregational devotional. From January 1-February 14, we'd love for you to read this special devotional with us.

Get the new year started right, with a stronger foundation in God's word. Join the 13-week DISCIPLE Bible study course led by Pastor Charlie and Covenant member Melissa Hardy, beginning this upcoming Wednesday, January 13 from 7:00-8:00 pm via Zoom.

The course requires daily reading and reflections and a commitment to spend one hour in Zoom gatherings each week, Wednesdays at 7pm. S

Join the 22 people already involved; sign up HERE. Visit covenantmadison.org/disciple or contact Pastor Charlie for more info.

Soul Sisters will gather remotely again this Sunday, January 10^th. The Zoom chat will begin at 7:00pm. If you are not currently on the mailing list for Soul Sisters, but would like to join us, please contact Nan Schaefer. We receive our Zoom invitation the day of the gathering via email, so we just need to have your name and email to invite you to join us. 

Soul Sisters is a small group open to all Covenant women. The purpose of gathering together is in three parts, woven together:

• to have thought-provoking, inspiring and educational discussions

• to envelop each other with warmth

• to get to know other Covenant women better

Throughout January we are collecting toiletries and household items for our friends at the Lussier Community Education Center! All month from 9:00-12:00 AM Monday-Friday you can bring household goods to Covenant and leave them in a bin outside the front door. If you can’t come during that time, contact Pastor Jeff Fox-Kline to set up a special drop-off. Thank you for your generosity!

We have TWO opportunities for offering right now: the Christmas Eve Mission Offering and the PC(USA) Christmas Joy Offering. If you want to contribute to one of them, please use the designations listed below. Thank you!

You can support local families with food and rent assistance through Covenant's Christmas Eve Mission Offering, which will benefit the Madison West High Area Collaborative.

Donate here with the designation "Christmas Eve Mission Offering."

The Christmas Joy Offering supports PC(USA) church leaders and communities of color (click here to learn more).

Donate here with the designation "Christmas Joy Offering."

Despite this turbulent year, Covenant members have once again poured their generosity into the vision we have for our church in 2021! Together, we make a huge difference in the life of our community.

As the graphic above shows, we are a bit behind where we were last year in terms of commitments made to the Generosity Campaign. If you haven't made a commitment yet, please visit our "Give" page to access the pledge card, which you can then email to the church office. Thank you for helping us make a difference!