Wise Enough To Walk Away // Pastor Amelia Houdek

This Sunday in our Advent Footnotes series, we step into the story of the Wise Men—not for the gifts they brought, but for the wisdom they showed after encountering Jesus.Scripture tells us that as they prepared to return home, God warned them not to go back to King Herod as he had told them.  Herod sounded devout on the surface, even eager to worship. But beneath the polished words were motives that opposed what God was doing.The Wise Men listened. They discerned. And they quietly chose another way.Their story invites us into the spiritual practice of seeing beyond the shine—because some things that appear good or spiritual on the surface don’t carry the character of Christ beneath. Discernment isn’t about suspicion; it’s about wisdom. It’s the Spirit teaching us to notice what’s true, what’s healthy, and what aligns with God’s heart.This week we’ll reflect on what it means to be wise enough to walk away—to test what we hear, to trust the Spirit’s guidance, and to welcome the gentle mercy of God that helps our hearts keep learning, tuning, and becoming.Join us as we prepare our hearts for worship and for a season shaped not by the world’s shine, but by God’s truth.