Sunday, January 8 (Epiphany) Chalking of the Doors
Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition that on (or near) the feast of the Epiphany we pray for God’s blessing on our homes, marking the entrance with chalk (an incarnational image reminding us of the dust of the earth from which we were made). We mark doors of the important places in our lives with symbolic letters and numbers:
20 + C + M + B + 23
The initials remind us of the legendary names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar – and also stand for the Latin motto: Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless this house.”
When we gather this Sunday to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany we will mark the doors of the church and ask God’s blessing on our spiritual home of Trinity. We will also send you home with chalk and encourage you to do the same. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in both our homes- at Trinity and in our own lives. It is a reminder for the year ahead to remember God’s love in our lives throughout our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows.