Epiphany 

Epiphany is the church season following Christmas.  It begins on January 6 and ends with Shrove Tuesday – just before Lent.  During Epiphany, we celebrate the visitation of the wise men to the infant King Jesus. But how might God want us to “celebrate” the Epiphany beyond our church service?

Father Don suggests that we may do this by celebrating the wise men’s seeking of Jesus.  Epiphany is the perfect season for seeking. We can use this time in our church year in the middle of winter, to seek Jesus more deeply for ourselves.  Where would you look for Jesus first?  

In the Incarnation, at Christmas, we celebrate God sending his son, Emmanuel,  “God with us.”  The significance of Epiphany, which means “showing forth,” is about the Father giving universal access to himself to all peoples, not just the Jews, and definitely not just the elite.  Just as God chose to reveal his son as a baby to the shepherds first, we might find Jesus in some surprising places and ways. 

One of the main themes of Epiphany is “LIGHT.” Jesus came into the world to be the light of the world and shed light on who God is.  It is hard to look for something in the dark!  Like turning on a light in a dark room, Jesus helps us see more of God’s love for us. This season, how will you go about seeking?  What do you hope God will shine light on for you to see?

When we join our hearts with Jesus and receive this amazing gift – to know God and have access to him, then we too, are lights.  In a mystical way, we actually shine light on who God is for others to see him better.  

Have you ever thought about what it means to let your light shine?  No matter how we might evaluate our own light, Jesus said not to hide it under a bushel, but let it shine!  Like a beautiful city on a hill, each building is part of the whole.  As the song many of us learned as children says… “let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”  

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If you could have been there when Jesus was born, what give might you have brought?  What gift will you bring to Jesus this year?