That the January Faith Matters is out? Here is the Pastor’s Page by Pastor Dave Wollan and you can see the whole thing here.
It’s Epiphany!!
Yeah, I know, big deal right?
What’s up with Epiphany? It’s like the step-child of church seasons. Let’s just skip to Lent, already! And what little we actually remember when it comes to Epiphany- the three kings- we get wrong anyway! Try this little quiz:
- How many kings came to see Jesus?
- How many wise men, or magi, came to see Jesus?
- The wise men saw Jesus in:
A manger
A house
A stable
A good mood
Well, if you gave any number for the first question, you were wrong. The wise men were not kings! That’s a tradition that arose years after. More than likely, they were scientists, astronomers, who studied stars. As to the second question, if you gave the traditional answer, three, you also may be wrong. The truth is, the Bible never says! We get the number three from the number of gifts mentioned, but there may have been many more magi than three. Finally, despite the inclusion of three wise men in many of our Christmas nativity scenes, it is not very likely that the wise men showed up the night Jesus was born. In fact, Jesus may have been almost two years old! Matthew 2:11 describes the wise men finding Jesus in a house, so he was well beyond the feed trough days.
How’d you do? Have I shattered your already-low impression of Epiphany even further? Well let me rescue it!
Epiphany is a time to commemorate the manifestation of Jesus to the world. During Epiphany, we remember how Jesus was introduced to the world beyond that silent night. It starts with the star introducing the new king to the searching wise men. It continues with other revelations of Jesus, including his baptism, his first miracles, his first teachings, and his Transfiguration. These stories are filled with wonder and awe, and show us who Jesus is.
But even more than commemorating how Jesus was made manifest back in the first century, we believe Jesus continues to manifest himself to us today.
He is made manifest in the simple yet powerful words of forgiveness.
He is made manifest in the proclamation of the Gospel.
He shows up in the least of these.
He comes to us in the bread and the wine.
He’s here.
For you.
Come, let us adore him.
Start your year off with an Epiphany.
See you in Church,
Pastor Dave
