Faith Lutheran Church

  • Home
  • Give
  • Contact
  • Reserve Space
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • Forms
  • About
    • Mission
    • Becoming a Member
    • Worship Info
      • Worship Schedule
      • Communion
      • Taxi Service
      • Services on Cable TV
    • Directions and Map
    • Links of Interest
  • Get Involved
    • Internship Program
    • Adult Studies and Small Groups
    • Music Ministry
  • Children & Youth
    • Children
    • Youth
  • Leadership
    • Staff
    • Church Council Members & Minutes
    • Ministry Teams
      • Church in the World
      • Congregational Life
      • Discipleship
      • Management
      • Children, Youth and Families
      • Worship Team
    • Faith Lutheran Church Women (FLCW)
  • News
    • Monthly Newsletter
    • Weekly Bulletins
    • Sermons
  • Calendar
You are here: Home News Epiphany!

Epiphany!

January 4, 2013 By Faith

Epiphany!

2013 is one of those rare years when we actually get to celebrate Epiphany during Epiphany!

That isn’t nearly as unusual as it sounds. Here’s why. Like Christmas and Pentecost, Epiphany refers both to a season and a day. The difference is that Pentecost Day is always on a Sunday and the world stops for Christmas Day whenever it occurs. They get plenty of attention every year.

But when Epiphany Day – January 6 – falls on a weekday, it usually gets no notice. This year, though, January 6 is a Sunday, so Epiphany Day will get the attention it deserves—and it does deserve attention, because it is the only time we focus on the Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12).

Most Nativity scenes, of course, include the Wise Men right there in the stable with the shepherds, but their journey took up to two years. That’s why the church calendar pushes their story to the first day after the Christmas season ends. Unfortunately, that just means their story is missed most years.

That’s too bad, because the Wise Men’s journey was a remarkable adventure in faith! It may seem reasonable to us that they would go to such lengths to see Jesus. He was the Son of God, after all. But they did not know that. They had only seen a special star that convinced them that a new King of the Jews had been born. Once they reached Jerusalem, they had to ask King Herod for further directions, because they did not know exactly where they were going or what they would find there.

What could have motivated them to leave home and pursue their journey for months on end? When the star finally stopped over a little house in Bethlehem, Matthew says they “rejoiced with a very great joy.” What did they see in this little child that made their hearts overflow?

The only possible explanation is that God graced them with faith to see beyond the realities in front of them to a greater possibility, to a profound promise that God had broken into this world in a new, unexpected way. That gift of faith drove them to persevere until they bowed before Jesus and gave him gifts fit for a king.

That is an important witness, because you and I are not so different from the Wise Men. We also are driven to seek Jesus and to rejoice in him only because God graces us with faith to see beyond the realities in front of us to a greater possibility, to the promise that what we see is not all that we get. There is more, so much more, a divine dimension to reality that was forever connected to our own in the birth of Jesus and granted to us by his death and resurrection.

This year, as we marvel at the faith and perseverance of the Wise Men on Epiphany Day, we can also marvel at the grace God grants us to believe in Christ Jesus and persevere in lives of faith. That’s why it is so great to be able to celebrate Epiphany during Epiphany!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Scott Grorud

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Epiphany, Faith Matters

New to Faith?

Building FAITH is the mission statement for Faith Lutheran Church, and it’s much more than just a slogan. You can see by all the ministries described on this website that God is Building FAITH in this church. It describes the amazing work God has done through our church through the years. It conveys our trust that God will amaze us even more in the future. It also calls all of us in this family of Faith to invest ourselves in the mission of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to a world broken by sin. Continue Reading

Finding Faith

View in Google Maps

Get In Touch

Faith Lutheran Church

335 Main St. S.

Hutchinson, MN 55350

[P] 320-587-2093

Email Faith Lutheran

Stay Connected

Sign up to get updates from Faith Lutheran Church sent straight to your email

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN was live.

20 hours ago

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN
Springtime ... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN

1 day ago

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN
The First Communion class glazed their chalices today! We have some amazing artists in this group! ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN was live.

2 days ago

Faith Lutheran Church - Hutchinson, MN
The Morning Prayer Psalm ... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Copyright © 2023 · Faith Lutheran Church · All Rights Reserved · Developed by Vivid Image · Privacy Policy · Log in