Epihanies
Dear Friends,
This weekend we will make our transition from the Season of Christmas to the Season of Epiphany. On Saturday evening, we celebrate the actual Feast of the Epiphany, and hear the story of the Magi who follow a star that leads them to the Christ child. And then on Sunday morning, we will find ourselves at the water’s edge as Jesus receives John’s baptism and experiences a moment of divine revelation; the heavens rip open, the Spirit descends on him like a dove, and he hears the voice of God say to him “you are my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek, "epiphaneia," meaning "appearing" or "revealing." During this brief liturgical season between Christmas and Lent, we’re invited to seek the love, majesty, and power of God in seemingly mundane things. Stars. Water. Doves. Voices. Sky. In the Gospel stories we read during this season, we are invited to look beneath and beyond the ordinary surfaces of our lives, and catch glimpses of the extraordinary.
Or at least, that’s the goal. The hope. The dream. The difficulty is, I’m not quite sure what 21st century epiphanies should look like. I’ve never followed a star to my divinely ordained destination, nor heard a divine Voice thundering through the clouds. Though I’ve professed belief in a self-revealing God all my life, I have not quite experienced revelation in any of the ways the Epiphany stories describe.
Then again, I do know what it feels like to see something or hear something as if for the first time, even though I’ve seen and heard it over and over again. I also know what it means to yearn for those momentous revelations to have meaning, and to make a meaningful impact on the beloved Ones whom God has placed in my life. With this in mind, I offer you this prayer/poem by Pastor and Poet Steve Garnaas-Holmes:
Beloved,
you have revealed yourself to the world in Christ.
Now reveal yourself in me.
May your grace shine in me.
May my love be a guiding star for others.
May my words and deeds show forth
the reign of your mercy and justice.
With humility and generosity
may I offer the gifts you have given me.
The treasure chest of my soul I open
to you and to the world.
As magi knelt and honored you,
I give you my life.
May I be a revelation of your strong, tender love,
your astounding grace,
your faithful presence.
Star of God, shine in me.
In Christ,
Amelie+
