Dear Friends,
“O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright – “ so begins the refrain to the well-known Epiphany hymn, “We three kings of orient are. . . “
This coming Sunday, January 5, we’ll observe the feast of the Epiphany. Although Epiphany is actually on January 6, Bishop Anne has given us the green light to celebrate Epiphany a day early.
The church has long celebrated the feast as the day the Wise Men found Jesus and his parents after following the star. Christmas cards and pageants often depict the creche with shepherds and their sheep AND Wise Men and their camels at the stable in Bethlehem all at the same time. But tradition has separated the two visits, with the Magi arriving at the end of the twelve days of Christmas.
Epiphany isn’t a word we use much anymore. It means “revelation” or “manifestation.” The Magi’s visit to Jesus was seen as the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles – since the Wise Men were not Jews. The event foreshadowed how Christ would be the Savior of the whole world, not just the Jewish Messiah. For a long time, the celebration of this Epiphany was a much bigger deal than Christmas because the growing Gentile church was so grateful to be included in God’s plan of salvation.
But Epiphany is more than one day – it is an entire season that stretches all the way to the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. During the Epiphany season, the Gospel readings contain little revelations or manifestations – unveilings, as it were, of who Jesus really is. One of the hymns for this season – #135 in Hymnal 1982 – contains a list of many of these unveilings:
- manifested by a star by a star to the sages from afar; (the Epiphany itself)
- Manifest at Jordan’s stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; (Jesus’ baptism)
- and at Cana, wedding guest, in thy Godhead manifest (changing water into wine)
- Manifest in making whole palsied limbs and fainting soul (healing miracles)
- Manifest on mountain height, shining in resplendent light (the Transfiguration)
To highlight the Epiphany season, the Adult Spiritual Formation Committee will give each of us the opportunity to receive a “star word” to reflect on – a word that has been chosen for us by the Holy Spirit.
We’ll also chalk the front door of the church at the end of the service. The chalking will include the new year’s date – 2025 – with 20 and 25 separated by C+M+B – in the center. C+M+B can represent the first letters of the names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar – or the Latin words Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means “May Christ bless this house.” We’ll pray that Christ will indeed bless Trinity this coming year.
Whether you plan to travel by camel caravan or by modern horsepower, I hope you’ll join me and your fellow parishioners on this first Sunday of 2025.
Blessings,
Stephen Applegate