Guest Commentary: Turn to community with your gift offerings

I hope you and your family have sources of warmth and joy surrounding you this new year. My family and I are new to this area - like "from North Carolina summer of 2019" new - and we are finding the cooler environment more than made up for by the warm hearts and supportive voices in our neighbors and new friends in this community.

All this change, combined with a new year, provides ample opportunity to develop new habits. Some are specific to our new setting here in the northern climes. In the past, we didn't take off our shoes before entering a home. Now, we not only have a pair of Sorel slippers for each member of our home, but we are much more aware of how we enter other people's houses. Thanks for the tip, Minnesotans.

In my faith tradition, the season of Epiphany follows Christmas. It often encompases the visit of the Magi, or the Star Gazers, and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newly born Jesus. In these representatives of the world beyond Israel and Rome, I see the example of Minnesotans revealed again. While we don't know how or when the Magi greeted the baby Jesus, we know they brought an attitude of generosity and hospitality. Not unlike visitors taking off their shoes before entering a home, the travelers brought gifts and made a change to further accommodate Jesus and his family.

The story goes the Magi had been warned in a dream not to return to the murderous ruler Herod, who wanted to kill Jesus as a potential threat to his throne and rule. And while we read Herod really did want to harm Jesus, the Magi changed their route to return home a different way, avoiding Herod.

This story really speaks to me right now. Again, I see it demonstrated in this warm and nurturing community of Minnesota. Time and time again, I have seen generosity and hospitality emulated, whether it be the entering of homes with respect, or the "warming houses" to offer physical support in a climate that can be tough, to the sharing of shoveling people's walks and driveways and even streets. One of my congregation members had a "pie buddies" sign-up to make sure we shared seasonal treats with people working during the holidays. Maybe this care for others is a typical behavior of Minnesota faith communities but it was wonderfully new to me.

All of this leads me back to my New Year's resolutions and the example of the Magi when they left Jesus and his family. Instead of bringing harm to the vulnerable family, the Magi decided to return a different way to make things easier for the family. I am guessing the change didn't make things easier for the Magi. Chances are, especially if they were using Google Maps on their trip, the first route was more straightforward. But they were willing to make some changes to help someone who needed the help, and returned a different way.

So I wonder in my own New Year's commitments, what habits or behaviors could I change to make someone else's life better? Could I attempt to place less refuse in our community's sanitary services waste stream? Could I offer a place of safety for community pollinators that enhance all growing things and provide ecological health around us? Could I volunteer at our community hospital to help the lives and health of the community of healers and beyond? All of these ways demonstrate the hospitality and generosity of the Magi and make our community stronger as a whole. Not all of these will suddenly pay each of us back rewards or make our lives easier or simpler. Some of these new habits might be difficult to build.

And yet ...

I'm told that one of the best things we can do to build a new habit is get out of our comfort zone. Holidays, vacation and travel ... all of these are opportunities to start and build new habits in our lives. The Magi were on a quest - which is somewhere between a holiday and travel event - and yet they also embarked on developing a new habit before returning home. My guess is that they had more than a few other changes upon returning home. Could we take a page of their story and find new ways to act and move around our own community that enhances, supports and protects the lives of those around us?

Maybe this is pretty typical Minnesotan fare: changing one's habits to help support the community? If so, thank you for sharing your witness with our family. And if you are trying to make some new habits going forward, consider us willing and supportive partners in your endeavours. Peace to you in this New Year.

Contact the Rev. Brian Cornell of

Northwood United Methodist Church at [email protected].