LORD, HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY? As we continue our way through the Epiphany season, the way that very first Epiphany went down is not lost on us. We recall how the wisemen were guided along their way by the light in the night (the star) that the Lord provided. Our good and gracious God always provides a way for us to find Him, "though He is actually not far from each one of us - for in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:27-28). In fact, when Thomas asked Jesus to show him the way, the answer was standing, right there, in front of him. Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The answer for Thomas was the same as for the wisemen who followed God's leading right to the Christ, the One born King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They were led to Jesus, whose Name means, "God is our salvation." And this same Jesus is the answer for you and me today. The light we follow is God's Word, which is a "lamp to our feet, and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105), which leads us right to Jesus, who is the Way for us to our salvation, the Way to our Heavenly Father and the blessed Way to eternal life through His death and resurrection. He came to us, and still comes to us by His Word & Sacrament to lead us and be with us in our journey through this life. So, let us keep trusting in His guidance, His Word, even as He, in His timing, leads us to a new under shepherd to feed us from God's Word. Pray for His will in this. And in the meantime, let us also give thanks that He has not left us as orphans, but through His Spirit, the Comforter, He has given us pastors and teachers in the Church who come alongside us with what we need to get by. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!