week of january 3, 2021 touchpoint

TOUCHpointpointsermons, prayers & more from

Knox Presbyterian Church

Week of January 3, 2021

A Diligent Search

2 3knox Presbyterian Church knox Presbyterian Church

Welcome to this week’s

Dear Friends,

This past week a friend of mind told of celebrating the arrival of 2021 with her husband and two young daughters. The family tradition for New Year’s Eve (which they celebrate at 8:00pm right before the children go to bed) is to offer a positive memory of something good that happened in the previous 12 months. For the adults, that was a struggle. But the six-year-old daughter explained that “2020 was the best year EVER!” When asked by her puzzled parents why she felt that way, she said, “because I got to spend so much time with you!”

Many of us didn’t get to spend much time with our loved families, of course. But there’s still a lesson in that little girl’s statement that we should hear; a lesson of taking joy in the now no matter where we find ourselves.

What? Joy in the isolation of 2020?Jana explains in her excellent Epiphany Sunday sermon on the

following pages. “While we look ahead with hope for 2021 to bring brighter days,” Jana writes, “God invites us to stay right here in this present moment where there is no waiting needed to receive and enjoy God’s hospitality, which makes all things whole. We need only consent to receive it...What lies behind all our desires and longings is really a longing for God – a treasure not out there, not hard to find, but living within us, every moment.”

So, let’s bid good riddance to 2020, and welcome 2021 with optimism. But let’s also remember that real hope and real joy can be found only when we seek God’s presence in the eternal now of the present.

Peace and health to you!Glenn Williams, Editor

Editor: Glenn Williams Art Direction & Photo Editing: Christina Miller

Stay up-to-date with Knox news. Visit us online at knox.org, or

subscribe to our weekly enounce-ments by contacting GlennWilliams,

Director of Communications at [email protected]

Letter from the Editor

SCRIPTURE 5 Matthew 2:1-12 New Standard Revised Version EARTH CARE CORNER7 Ways to Care for Creation by the Knox EarthCare Team SERMON 8 A Diligent Search by Rev. Jana Reister20 PRAYER LIST

TOUCHpoint!point!Week of January 3, 2021

TOUCHpoint!point!

5knox Presbyterian Church

these individuals Hartman, Kelly Hattendorf, Pattie Hays, Dale Heaton, Pam Heckle, Dana Hodge, Dan Hoffar, Mary Lou Harris, Al

these families The Harrison Family: Brady, Heather, Bud The Harte Family: Andy, Helene, Charles, Andre The Hartman Family: Randy, Marcy, Zachary, Brooke The Haussler Family: Steve, Eleanor, Allison, Emily The Hautz Family: Bill, Jon, Hannah The Helms Family: Blake, Susi The Helms Family: Howard, Mary The Henger Family: Erin, Mathew, Holden, Harper The Herman Family: Susan, Jim, Jamie The Hess Family: Ashley, Alison, Harrison, Holden, Georgia The Higginbotham Family: Brad, Stephen Eadicicco, Giorgia, Luca The Hillegass Family: Jerry, Gloria The Hinger Family Tony, Lisa, Meredith, Bradley, Elise The Hodge Family Jeanine, Hank

O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. (Psalm 59:17).

PRAYERS FOR EVERYONE (a ministry of Knox Deacons) This Week's ScriptureFirst of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all and tell God how thankfulyou are for each of them. (1 Timothy 2:1, Contemporary English Version)

The Deacons invite you to take a moment and join them in prayer, lifting the names of these friends to the God who loves us all unfailingly.

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling to-gether all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Mes-siah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search dili-gently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew 2:1-12

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6 knox Presbyterian Church

Earth Care Corner

The KNOX Earth Care Teamexploring God's call to be good stewards of the world

1. Eat Those Leftovers! After the holiday season you will likely have leftovers. A great way to be a steward to the Earth is to consume your food. Did you know that Americans throw away 25% of the food they buy? Not only is this a waste of money but it is also harmful to the environment. Producing food takes land, water, and heavy machinery. By eating your leftovers you are not only saving money but also preventing energy waste from food production. Not to mention you are keeping them from taking up space in a landfill.

2. Green Your Laundry Routine• Use cold water when washing clothes to reduce energy use. Energy is needed to

heat water. You can also opt for a shorter wash cycle.• Only do laundry when the load is full. Not only does this save water and electric-

ity but it also saves you money and time. You can either wait until you have more items to wash or combine your partial load with your family or housemates.

• Avoid using energy to dry your laundry by hanging a laundry line or using a dry-ing rack. This cuts down on your electricity bill as well!

3. Cut Your Shower Time by Five MinutesCut five minutes off your shower to save water. According to a study done by Harvard the average American shower uses 2.5 gallons per minute. You will save 12.5 gallons of water if you shorten by just 5 minutes. Or, consider turning the water off while you

lather up and only turn it on to rinse.

For more ideas visit www.creationjustice.org/

God Our Creator,We anticipate the newness that you are bring-ing forward. We commit our energy to caring for creation.We thank you for renewing our hope.Amen.

Ways to Care for Creation

being the church

February 8: The Silent Patient by Alex MichaelidesMarch 8: Foreign Affairs by Allison Laurie

April 12: The Bright Edge of the World by Eowen IveyMay 10: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

June 14: The Nightwatchman by Louis ErdichJuly 12: News of the World by Paulette Jiles

August 9: The Wonder of the Whistle Stop by Fannie FlaggSeptember 13: Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

October 11: The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim M. RichardsonNovember 8: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

December 13: Circe by Madeline Miller

TheKNOX Book Group

More 2021 selections:

Join us! 2nd Monday of every month

via Zoom 7:30 pm

January 11, 2021 selectionContact: Becky Gibbs [email protected] (513) 221-0265


This week we celebrate Epiphany in the life of the church, the celebration of the revealing of Jesus’ birth to the nations beyond Judea, beyond the Jewish people—a revelation to the Gentiles that a Messiah has arrived. In today's Gospel lesson we meet the magi, commonly known as the Wise Men and the first of the Gentiles to receive the epiphany.

In going about their work one evening, studying the night sky and ever seeking wisdom, a particular star grabs the attention of the magi. With the discovery of this star, they also receive a divine message about a child born in faraway Judah—Jesus, the Messiah, the one called King of the Jews. Ju-dah already has a king, King Herod, whom the Roman occupiers of Judea made their puppet king. Scholar Steve Heinrichs points out that Herod essentially bought the title for himself by serving the interests of the

Message by Pastor Jana Reister of Knox Presbyterian Church. The full video message delivered on Sunday,January 3, 2021 can be found at knox.org/sundayjanuary3.

A Diligent SearchRoman Empire, which he did at the expense of the interests of the people he ruled (Hein-richs, Unsettling the Word).

When the magi arrive in Jerusalem seek-ing the king-child, Herod, the power-hun-gry, paranoid dictator that he was, becomes fraught with fear. He wants to know the exact whereabouts of this new threat to his reign, so he encourages the wise men to be sure to “search diligently” for the child and to let him know when they find him.

Herod claims to want to offer Jesus hos-pitality, to welcome him and to pay him homage. Further in the story we learn that Herod has no interest at all in showing hos-pitality, only in self-preservation.

The magi are about to discover true welcome when they meet one of our great teachers of hospitality, Mary, the mother of Jesus. God welcomed Mary into God’s salvation story for the world in a unique

way, inviting her to welcome into her body the fullness of God. Mary responds to God’s hospitality by con-senting to bear the child Jesus. Through divine providence, which to the world appeared scandal-ous—and into a hostile world—Mary helps welcome Jesus into being and onto his own divine path.


The Knox Board of Deacons has been in a season of discernment this past year. They have been seeking God’s guidance as they ask the good and important questions about how and whether the deacon ministries are meeting the congre-gation’s current needs for care. They realize that with the passage of time and the advent of the pandemic, needs may change.

Understanding that hospitality is the foundation of all their ministry, the deacons have been exploring the spiritual practice of hospitality led by Director

of Congregational Care, Becky Bosarge. One aspect they have explored is God’s hospitality, which is another word for God’s grace—that unmerited favor we hear about all the time in the scriptures, our hymns and our liturgy. As author Na-nette Sawyer puts it, God’s grace is God extending to us a deep welcome, a loving embrace, a holy hospitality that fills us up, and never ends (Nanette Sawyer, Hospital-ity, The Sacred Art).

We may relate to what some of the deacons discovered: that it’s easier to offer hospitality, to do good for others, than to receive God’s hospitality. By its very nature, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace; many of us may not feel worthy to receive it. No matter who we are, how we show up in the world, God welcomes us. Sawyer describes how God’s hospitality works: It is our consent—our “yes” echoing Mary’s “yes”—to receiving God’s hospitality that allows us and

energizes us to be able to offer God’s hospitality to others, willingly and with joy. This giving and receiv-ing of hospitality between God and God’s creation is the nature of God’s Realm.

The magi departed from Herod on their diligent search, following that star until it came to a stop over a certain house in nearby Bethlehem. While Herod was at home wringing his hands with murderous wor-ry, the magi were joyful with anticipation. Mary extends hospitality to the magi, wel-coming them into her home. The magi respond by pour-ing out their own hospitality, first with their bodies as they kneel before Jesus in awe, wonder and worship. They then pour out their treasure chest filled with gifts for Jesus, gifts fit for royalty—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And when it was time for them to take their leave, they pack up their empty treasure chest, and depart with a new treasure, a felt presence of the Divine within them. They returned home altogether different-ly. Their actual route was changed thanks to a Di-vine warning in a dream to avoid Herod, and they were

changed, in heart, mind and spirit. For no one can encounter the hospitality of God in Christ and leave in the same way they came.

Back in Jerusalem, Herod learns that he’s been duped by the magi, so he never discovers the exact location of Jesus. Intent on eliminat-ing any threat to his power and control, and to secure his position as king, Herod orders the decimation of the very youngest of his popu-lation, forcing Mary, Joseph and their son Jesus to be-come homeless refugees as they fled the country to save Jesus’ life.

We have learned that behind hate lies fear, and beneath fear is the lie that one is separated from Love. This is Herod’s state—a terrified human, unaware of an eternally loving, wel-coming God at work in the world and dwelling within him. The curse of such fear is that it blocks our ability to receive God’s hospitality, that inner treasure of grace assuring us we are not alone, that we are connected to Love—our generous Cre-ator—to one another, to all creation.

Eckhart Tolle, in his book The Power of Now, tells the

" . .. no one can encounter

the hospitality of God in Christ

and leave in the same way

they came."


story of a man who had been begging by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger passed by this man. “‘Spare some change?’ mumbled the [begging man], mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. ‘I have nothing to give you,’ said the stranger. [The stranger] asked: ‘What’s that you are sitting on?’ ‘Nothing,’ replied the beggar. ‘Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.’ ‘Ever looked inside?’ asked the stranger. ‘No,’ said the beggar. ‘What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.’ ‘Have a look inside,’ insisted the stranger. The begging man managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.”

Tolle’s point in telling this parable is that we can have ample wealth, success, and esteem, yet still be beggars ever looking out there in the

world for more of what we think and hope will bring us “fulfillment...validation, security or love.” And in that pursuit, we remain beggars, for we are looking in the wrong place. Our true trea-sure is closer to us than that box full of gold was to the beggar who sat upon it. It is the treasure found within us of God’s eternally welcoming presence, the source of true joy and unshakable peace.

Whether we did anything to officially welcome the new year this past weekend, 2021 has finally arrived. If you’re like me, for months now you have been receiv-ing humorous memes, texts, tweets about the desire for the awfulness of 2020 to end

and that 2021 cannot come soon enough, and with it bring to an end the many challenges, loss, dis-cord, and hardship of the past year.

But ends sometimes take time. Likely, we woke up on January first to a reality that appeared much like Decem-ber 31. Things will change as they always do, as time does the holy work of healing us and our world. More and more COVID-19 vaccines are administered every week, and this increases our hopes for many things: that the number of COVID cases

will begin to diminish; the economy will recover and more people can return to work; our hearts will heal from the great losses we experienced in 2020 – – the deaths of loved ones, the loss of stable income and housing, a school experience we ex-pected to enjoy but that was derailed by the pandemic. And we hope for unity in our nation, compassionate hearts for all the world’s leaders, racial justice, climate justice, the end to all that creates hunger, violence, refugees.

While we look ahead with hope for 2021 to bring brighter days, God invites us to stay right here in this present moment where there is no waiting needed to re-ceive and enjoy God’s hospi-tality, which makes all things whole. We need only consent to receive it. Jesus will grow up, and he will spend his earthly ministry showing and telling the world how to find this treasure—this bread of life and living water as he calls it, that is nothing less than the Kingdom of God. What lies behind all our

desires and longings is really a longing for God – a trea-sure not out there, not hard to find, but living within us, every moment.

After the magi returned to their own country, we can be sure they shared the news of their encounter with Jesus, because everyone transformed by presence of Jesus that we read about in the scriptures, always ran and told others the Good News of the indescribable treasure, the holy hospitality, the grace beyond measure of God’s love.

And may we so do also, to go and search diligently for all who need the treasure of God’s welcome, whether stranger or family, enemy or friend, wealthy or poor, citizen or asylum seeker. And to the Herods that live in our world today, may we con-sent as Jesus did and taught, and as his mother Mary did before him, to speak God’s truth with love to the fearful that gives rise to hateful, in solidarity with the suffering. For there are populations still being decimated today,

due to skin tone, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, social status. There are still millions of refugees and dis-placed people in our world, and more being made every day due to policy, greed and lifestyles that lead to glob-al warming, and force the migration and threaten the existence of more of God’s people and creation each day.

In our diligent search for any and all who are in need in body, mind or spirit, may we pour out God’s hospi-tality in the name of Jesus the Christ, whose mother Mary welcomed the magi from a foreign land, who in turn welcomed her son, who was welcomed by strangers in foreign lands when he himself was displaced and in need. May we love in the way of Jesus who teaches us that the Realm of God is more precious than any gold, frankincense and myrrh, that it is a treasure that cannot be bought but only wel-comed, and only grows when it is shared, and with every sharing brings healing and wholeness to God’s beloved world.

"No matter who we are,

how we show up in the world,

God welcomes US."

"Ever looked inside?"

15knox Presbyterian Church

Week of January 3, 2020

Invitation to Pray Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ~ Colossians 4:2

New Prayer Requests Emmanuel, Meghan, friend of Will Graham Lowry, Janet, daughter of David LowryMark, uncle of Luke BurtonTipton, Terri, spouse of Darb Dewar

Knox Members and Friends Allgood, ShereeBellamy, Caroline, Mike and Ashley Craft, PattyBlacklidge, Becky, wife of Bruce BlacklidgeBob and his sister Mary, friends of Sarah AldrichBruno, Adele, friend of Deland BasoraBunge, Janet Bunn, Nancy, friend of Foster and Kathleen WinterCarli, Patricia, mother/mother-in-law of Lou and Christi CarliColeCopella, John, friend of Karl Power and Gana Taggart Crossen, Ann, friend of Jan and Blair BattistiniDartnall, Lillian DeJah and Karen, cousin and aunt of Julie MorganDorosch, Brian, relative of Sarah AldrichDowning Family (The)Driscoll, Fred, brother-in-law to Christine Driscoll, uncle to Thad and Anne Drummond, TaraDryer, SethEiler, Artie Fiorelli, Linda, sister-in-law of Liz HaradonFleish, Kara Kruger, friend of Beverly MaisenhalterFord, Starr

Griffey, Keishna, friend of Mary Lou KrohnGriffin, NancyHall, ReginaHigh, RachelHigh-Reilly, Brian and Robin, son-in-law and daughter of Rachel HighIHN and the homeless families they serveIson, Ruth Jacobs, Cindy, mother of Leslie Jacobs Johnson, KathleenKautz, Walter

prayer list

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ~ Colos-sians 4:2

Kersey, Katlyn, and family, niece of Jeff and Pam KerseyKersey, Lynne, sister-in-law of Jeff KerseyKersey, Pam and JeffKoenig, Joe, friend of Heidi PerryKuhlman, Art, father-in-law of Elisabeth KuhlmanLachniet, Grace Lance, Beth, friend of Karen WirthlinLyon, MaryMartin, Gina, friend of Sheree AllgoodMcCullough, NancyMcDonald, Mary Anna, sister of Ev LandenMcDonough, Marj, aunt to Mary NurreMcGill, EJ, grandson of Susan and TerryMcPherson, Don, nephew of Foster and Kathleen WinterMelson, Leslie and Jim, niece and nephew ofBarry CorsMorgan FamilyMorgan, MichaelMooney, CeceMorgan, GregNielsen, Sue Nurre, Bob and Doris, brother and sister-in-law of Jim NurreOoten, Janice, mother of Julie MorganPack, Amelia, daughter of Woody PackPfeiffer, LisaPierce, Lynda and RonPerkins, Talon, nephew of Jim Elkin Jr. and Brooke ElkinPeters, MarilynPursen, Dick Qualley, Steve, cousin of Karen GroutPreston, Dennis husband of Fay PrestonRaju, Sue, Family of, friend of Cathy RectorRitchie, Frank and CaroleRutherford, Marvin, friend of KnoxScott, Mary, daughter-in-law of Jim and Recie ScottSinger, Andrea, friend of Karen WirthlinSmith, MyrnaStallsworth, Abby, daughter of Becky Stallsworth

Stearns, Sally Stefanik, Mim Steiner, Ace, friend of Kathy WallStewart, MaryStith, BetteStith, JackTalmon, Reba, friend of Kathleen and Foster WinterTripp, KilaTrunick, Jim, brother of Mary Lou KrohnTurner, Lorie, friend of Maria AndersonVickie, friend of Karen GroutVolz, Sue Waugh, CarolWiesjahn, Mitch, great nephew of Karl Power and Gana Taggart Wilson, Andrew, son of Anne WilsonWuenker, Jim

Our Global Outreach PartnersBoyd, Jeff and Christi and family, PC(USA) Mission Co-workers in Congo Seitz, Jonathan and Emily and family, PC(USA) Mission Co-workers in Taiwan

With Thanksgiving For Prayers Offered,Removed From the ListDavis, Susan, Craig and familyLanden, Barbara

DeathsJerry Simpson, 12/22/20

Something to think and pray about this week [God's] Presence is so immense, yet so humble; awe-inspiring yet so gentle; limitless, yet so intimate, tender and personal. I know that I am loved.

~ Thomas Keating

Adam Fronczek Senior Pastor

Jana Reister Associate Pastor

David Annett Dir. of Youth Ministries

Pete Tuff Dir. of Operations

Tina HubertDir. of Faith Formation

Rènché leRoux Finance Manager

Glenn Williams Dir. of Communications

Pam Ward Faith Community Nurse

Even though our offices are closed, Knox staff members are still working from remote locations and are ready to serve you. We are mon-itoring the Knox telephone voicemail throughout nor-mal business hours and will respond to you quickly.

(513) 321-2573

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week of january 3, 2021 touchpoint

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