Star words

Sermon by Pr. Michelle Sevig on the Baptism of Our Lord + Sunday, January 11, 2026

How many of you have heard of “star words?” Not Star Wars, but words. 

The use of star words is a prayer practice connected to Epiphany and the new year that has been growing in popularity in churches for nearly a decade now. The idea is that a list of intention words, or guiding words, are printed on paper stars. These paper stars are then placed in a basket and during the Epiphany worship service individuals are invited to draw a star word from the basket and use it as a guiding word throughout the year. Individuals are often encouraged to place their star word somewhere they will see it regularly throughout the year to allow consistent reflection on how God has moved through, around, or in connection to that word.  

One year I did an online version of this practice and my word was RESTRAINT. I wanted to throw it back. What was that supposed to mean? RESTRAINT made me think about being held back or being bound. These words were supposed to be a gift, but this did not feel like one to me. Other words in the mix were more positive like JOY, COURAGE, RESILENCE, CALM. Why couldn’t I get a word like that?

In today’s scripture readings there are words that stand out, though they’ve likely never made it on to the “star word” list; words like well-pleased, anointed, witnesses, testify, beloved. In the text from Matthew we read that Jesus is baptized by John in the river Jordan and the heavens open up and a voice declares, “This is my son the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” And in the book of Acts, Peter refers to Jesus’ baptism as an anointing by the Holy Spirit, which launched Jesus into a ministry of healing for all who are oppressed. Then Peter proclaims that we are witnesses to these things and called to testify to the work of God in our lives.  

Many have wondered over the years, as did John himself, why Jesus needed to be baptized at all. He didn’t need to be cleansed or repent of anything. Yet, Jesus' baptism is not to make him holy, but the waters are made holy by Christ himself. The same waters that poured over Jesus in the Jordan eventually wash over us as well. “Beloved,” “well-pleased” “anointed” “witnesses” are not just words for the bible era, but these characteristics also apply to all the baptized of every generation. In the waters of baptism we hear a voice from heaven saying, “You are beloved. God is well pleased with you.” And we are anointed to do good in the world, and bear witness to God’s goodness and mercy. 

I wonder what words have been guiding your prayers and ponderings this week? GRIEF? ANGER? LONELINESS? HAPPINESS? WONDER? HOPEFULNESS? 

A good friend from Minnesota, who is mother to two adopted children from Guatemala and Ethiopia, called me yesterday morning and asked for prayer. Her word? FEAR. Her young adult children are afraid to leave the house, to go about their daily work and play, for fear they will be unjustly abducted by ICE. And their mom, usually the first to be at a protest or prayer vigil, or helping others who are in danger, is now afraid to participate with her church community in the protests and vigils happening today this weekend in Minneapolis.  

Maybe FEAR is your guiding word these days too. Many of you have expressed your fear about what is happening to our immigrant neighbors, fear about the changes in health care, fear about a potential war with Venezuela, fear for future generations. Fear manifests in our lives in a  variety of ways. It can create in us a state of worry and anxiety or even be so bad that it’s almost paralyzing. That’s how my friend–usually so resilient–feels this week.

I wonder if we can invite another word to be our guide this Epiphany season… BELOVED. Not to ignore the fear or push it aside, but to stand firmly in our belovedness. On this festival day, Baptism of our Lord, we read about Jesus’ baptism and remember our own. Even if we can’t remember the actual event, we remember, with all the saints, the promise and the call. Baptism invites us to surrender our fears, recognizing that within our ordinary lives lies the extraordinary love of God.  We are always and already God's Beloved — not because we've done anything to earn it, but because God’s very nature, inclination, and desire is to love. That’s good news, BELOVED.  And it's the gospel word we need to hear over and over again. 

As God’s beloved, we are anointed to share this all-embracing love with others. In the Affirmation of Baptism liturgy our call is outlined clearly, “proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serve all people following the example of Jesus, and strive for justice and peace in all the earth.”  May these words–PROCLAIM, SERVE, STRIVE guide us this season and always to lives rooted in our belovedness to God and one another. 

And here’s one more word to guide you in your baptismal living-NO. It's a short, yet powerful word. You may be surprised to hear me claim it as a “star word” of sorts. But NO is  also part of our baptismal rite. In baptism we are called to boldly renounce evil and all that defies God. We are called to renounce the powers of the world that rebel against God. We are called to renounce the ways of sin that draw us from God. We shout out a strong “NO!” to the forces that keep us from loving our enemies and serving one another. 

Will you live out your baptismal calling and say NO to all that defiles God? Say NO to white supremacy and its demonic legacy in our country and in our world? Say NO to serving self above all else? Say NO to unjust systems that benefit one group of people at the expense of others? Say NO to abuse of self, others and our planet? Say NO to empty promises and complicity? This day, every day, boldly shout a strong NO to all that destroys and deceives, and turn toward the Holy One’s YES that proclaims, “You are beloved of God.” 

Water washed and Spirit born, trusting God’s mercy when we fail, we go out from this place to love and serve in Jesus’ name, saying YES to the promise that we are God’s Beloved and saying NO to everything that defies God’s loving embrace. Amen.