Following the Star 
Pause
Breathe. Take in some deep grounding breaths. Pull your shoulders back, feel the ground beneath you. Once you have settled, take one more deep breath saying or thinking:
INHALE: Holding on to joy doesn’t mean I am always happy.
EXHALE: It means I will not be overcome by despair.
Listen
The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
With many other words John appealed to them, proclaiming good news to the people.
Luke 3:15-16, 18
Think
Expectation is complicated. On one hand it is good to have an idea of what you expect at any given time from a variety of people for a variety of situations. Expectation helps us prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally. The complicated bit is when what we expect is not what is. When we expect something to be a certain way, we can misinterpret what is happening because we are not open to possibilities beyond our expectations.
John the Baptist showed up and people started wondering if he was the Christ they were waiting for, the one the scriptures spoke of, the one who was going to make things better. John was important because he was preparing the people to expect more, imagine more, think about possibilities they had not yet dared to dream. This is why God sent Jesus: to let us know that God has even more, not just for one person but for all of us. As you journey through this day, I encourage you to identify how you might imagine more possibilities in the midst of your every day.
Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks
Question to Ponder:
How might your faith inform your expectations?
Pray
God of infinite possibilities, thank you for sending Jesus to remind me that there is always more and that your love is incredibly expansive. Help me to be more like John the Baptist, ready to prepare the way for more and giving people hope in the midst of every day. I pray for imagination and expectation as this season of following the star continues to unfold. Amen.
Go
You are the God of justice
You are the God who sees
You are the God who heals and
Who loves the world through me
We believe our love can change things
We will not live silently
You are the God of justice
You are the God who sees
You oh Lord are with us
We will not be afraid
