Epiphany...have you ever heard of such a word? Although,
you may humorously want to say “Gesundheit” after saying the word out loud, it is
actually a significant event of the Church calendar.
Epiphany, the twelfth day after
Christmas, is when the Church marks the conclusion of the Christmas season.
Usually, most Churches will celebrate Epiphany the first Sunday of the New
Year. Many families will mark Epiphany by taking down the Christmas tree and
decorations.
The word "Epiphany"
means "to show" or "to
reveal." It is also a historical date because it marks the
arrival of the "three wise men" from the east who came "to
show" and "to reveal" to all the world that this little
2-year-old toddler was Lord and King (Matthew 2:9-11)
This is why
we celebrate Epiphany! We celebrate
to recall how God has been "showing" and "revealing"
Himself to us ever since that one night the Kings of the Orient bowed their
knees and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to
this little boy named Jesus.
Be on guard! Watch! Our
transcendent God is ever present and working in His creation to show
us and to reveal to us how much He loves us and
desires to have a close, personal, intimate, and loving relationship with us.
Knowing this, may we never take for
granted the next time we experience a brilliant sunset, the warm hug of a
grandparent, a confirming compliment from a parent, the warmth of the sun's
rays on a cold winter day, the purring of a cat, visiting with a neighbor,
volunteering with others for a humanitarian event, and the joy of fellowship
with our Church family during Sunday worship services...all things God uses to
show and reveal His presence...His love for us.
"Happy Epiphany!" How will you
be "on the look out" for God's "Epiphany" to you
today...this week...this year? My prayer is that we'll take notice and see a
lot of our Heavenly Father in visible, tangible ways in the world around us! He
is still here and revealing Himself everywhere to know Him more!
Romans
1:19-20,
“They know the truth about God because he
has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people
have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see
his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no
excuse for not knowing God.”