Epiphanies Abound!
This past Sunday was Epiphany Sunday. It is the day that we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men at the stable to honor the Christ child. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word, “Epiphaneia”. Breaking it down, “epi” is a prefix for “on, upon, or to” and “phainein” is a verb meaning “to show, to make appear, or to bring to light”. When the Wise Men followed the star in the East, God was appearing to them, showing them the way to Emmanuel. Today we often think of an epiphany as a way God reveals Godself to us; a manifestation. Even though Sunday was “Epiphany Sunday” according to the Liturgical calendar, we are in the season of Epiphany until Lent begins. Each week of Epiphany the lectionary will take us to passages where God reveals Godself to God’s people. Beginning this Sunday with the Baptism of the Lord, ending with the Transfiguration of the Lord on March 2, and all the other Sundays in between, we will encounter epiphanies in God’s Word. Sometimes these revelations will be bold and brilliant and sometimes they will be subtle and soft, yet all are manifestations of God Almighty to the ones God holds dear. As we work our way through these encounters with the Holy in the next few months, ponder these thoughts: How is God making his presence known to me? How is God speaking to me through the Word? At the beginning of this new year with new opportunities, how is God revealing ways for all of us to shine and to serve?
Epiphanies abound, not simply during the season of Epiphany, but throughout the whole year. In 2025, let us attune our hearts so that we are receptive to the glorious light. In 2025 may we be open to the majesty and might of the one who came to dwell among us; the one who is constantly revealing himself to us; the one who moves us to elation and fills us with awe.
Peace, Josie
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