Skip to main content

Faith of Epiphany

 

The first week of January, regardless of year, holds within the Church a celebration known as “Epiphany.” The word means “manifestation” and refers to God revealing Himself “in the flesh” through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also a time to mark the appearance of the Three Wise Men who were some of the first to recognize and worship Christ as King.

The “Epiphany” revelation or “manifestation” is that God unveils Himself to the world. Through Jesus His Son, He shows Himself as fully human and fully divine. That He is real. That He is our Triune God.

Epiphany, to our faith, is a powerful testimony of God’s unconditional love. His love for us compelled Him to send His Son into the world to save us from our sinfulness. God took the initiative. God made all the arrangements. God paid the price to make this happen. In other words, it was His idea and decision all along. He did everything to make reconciliation with Him possible. His desire to have a loving and personal relationship with you is that important to Him.

God brought His redeeming light into the darkness of this world on purpose. Isaiah 60:3 foretold of God’s loving plan by saying “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

Our Church’s liturgy (Collect) states during Epiphany by praying, “O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”

In addition to being “Advent People” (awaiting the return of Jesus), we also need to be “Epiphany People” who reveal the love of God and the salvation in Jesus to the world. We “epiphany” or “manifest” God to the world when we love one another (John 13:35) and live out the commands of God through radical obedience, faith, and sacrifice.

I think John the Baptist said it well in Matthew 3:8, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” And as John taught, 1 John 2:6, “Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.” The Bible is clear that if we choose Christ and want to be a Christian, then we choose to represent Him to the world. 2 Corinthians 5:20, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

If you have been a born-again Christian for some time, this should come to you as no surprise. However, honestly, if you were taught that you only accepted Christ to “go to Heaven” then this radically obedient “living for Jesus” daily lifestyle could pose some concern and challenge. The point is, a Christian is an “Epiphany” to the world. We illumine the light of Christ to reveal Him to the lost.

Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

That is the faith of Epiphany! We, as Disciples, must make other Disciples of Jesus. Our faith is more than just “going to Heaven” after we die. It is more than attending worship services at Church on Sunday.

Being a Christian is a “24/7/365” and “all the time” faith. It is our identity that emanates from all that we are and from everything we are involved with daily. In other words, faith doesn’t have an “off” switch. We simply are….always. Regardless.

Epiphany reminds me of the chorus from the Christmastide Hymn, “We Three Kings,” that declare “Oh, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.” Let’s remember to light the world with the love and perfect light of Jesus. Let’s live out our faith of Epiphany.

Popular posts from this blog

Learn from Lydia

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

The Power of Words

We’ve probably have all heard the little tune “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I learned this as a child, but as I grew older over the years, it became more and more apparent that this small jingle is far from the truth. Words can hurt me. Words can be deadly and even life-threatening. I have concluded that the only form of homicide that goes unpunished in the world today is “verbal homicide.” We can use words to “kill” the self-esteem of another person. We can “kill” their potential or "kill" their momentum and ability to grow and learn. All by the words we use. Proverbs 18:20 (NLT) tells us, “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.” Proverbs 11:9 (NLT) also says “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.” We need to seriously consider the choice of words we use when speaking to others. We must formulate in our minds, before speaking, wo...