Epiphany Blessings!
The feast of the Epiphany, January 6, celebrates the wise men, or "Magi," (from which we get our word, "magic") who traveled from the East to celebrate Jesus. This Sunday at Christ Church we have some of our older kids offering an Epiphany play they put together to put us in the spirit. Sally emailed me to ask whether Altar Guild could leave up the crèche and the answer was a very happy yes. Christmas season ends this Sunday, but we can still enjoy those sights as part of it.
They came from "the East," shorthand for "Really Far Away." The birth of Jesus Christ is good news for every person, from every place. It's not the location that's important; it's the way "The East" represents the whole world. Jesus wasn't born just for those in Jerusalem, or just for the people who follow the law, or even just for the people of Israel and the Gentiles in the region. Jesus was born for ALL of us-just another way our faith teaches us to be more open, more expansive in our own quest for truth.
Epiphany continues the "Incarnation cycle" of Advent and Christmas-the time of year we observe with special attention God's birth with us. It's a time of paradox and grace. How to fully apprehend that intimacy, that grace? Where are the "other" places we're now invited to seek the truth? Where are we called to go, embodying the Magi ourselves? Or whom are we called to welcome to offer us good news and great joy?
Listen with me to Peter Chrysologus, who was Bishop of Ravenna in the 5th Century.
In choosing to be born for us, God chose to be known by us. . . Today the Magi find, crying in a manger, the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. Today the Magi see clearly, in swaddling clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars. Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, humankind in God, God in human flesh, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body.
Heaven on earth and earth in heaven, God hidden among the stars come near to us. They were not far away from Bethlehem, and will not stay far from us. God comes home to us; literally as well as symbolically. An old custom in the church has been to bless homes. Marking the doorpost with chalk, you write the year, the sign of the cross, and the Chi Ro, an early Greek symbol for Jesus, on the door frame (people of faith have an even longer history of writing on their doors--something for another day).
I'll share a short liturgy you can do at home on our website (the communications page)--maybe we can even bless some chalk together on Sunday!
Blessings,
Sara+
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