They Asked the King Where's the King

Fear has a way of convincing us that silence and compliance will keep us safe—but what happens when staying quiet means cooperating with harm? This sermon explores how fear gets weaponized to control us, especially in times when oppressive power seems to be winning. Through the story of the Magi, we see what it looks like when an encounter with something true makes compliance intolerable. Shae Washington unpacks four questions that might help us resist letting fear dictate our choices: Where are we focusing our attention? What ways is God trying to guide us that we're missing? And uncomfortably—what patterns of fear-driven harm do we need to dismantle in ourselves? The Magi didn't confront Herod with speeches or swords. They simply chose another way home. If you're exhausted from hypervigilance and looking for permission to rest while still resisting, or if you're searching for what your "alternative route" might look like in 2026, this one's for you.