Epiphany
The Rev. Canon Carol L. Wade
“Bearing God’s Gifts”
Opening their treasure chests, they offered the child gifts
Matthew 2:11b
Epiphany is an astonishing word that suggests the unfurling of mystery. Mystery, in the biblical sense, however, does not mean an unsolvable riddle, but rather an all-pervasive sense of living in God’s light and participating in something greater than we can imagine.
Ah-ha! moments shine forth in Epiphany as we discover who Christ is and what that means for us. A wondrous star sets the stage. The baby born to a little family in need of shelter is revealed to the world as the Messiah. The Magi, representative of peoples from diverse places and ethnicities, signal that God’s good news is meant for all. If the invitation to a world larger than yourself sets your heart aglow, Epiphany is for you. Epiphany is about vision, mission and transformation.
In our banner series celebrating the seasons of
the church (view or download booklet pdf),
artist Nancy Chinn has created a work of incandescent beauty that
illuminates the reality of Epiphany. Gold, yellow and white are
prominent. The small condensed orb of light from the Christmas banner,
representative of Christ, encompasses nearly the whole of the Epiphany
banner. The central orb of light shines-forth to all creation, as
suggested by the color spectrum at the lower corner of the banner. Such
illumination brings knowledge. Our understanding of God’s eternal
plan gains greater clarity in the radiance of Christ’s glory.
Epiphany creates vision.
The gift of Epiphany is the light it shines on the discrepancies between our world and God’s coming reign. We know that the shroud of darkness that covers God’s people in poverty must be lifted through right relationship of neighbor helping neighbor, across all boundaries and localities. We recognize that the veil of tears that clouds our response must shed forth showers that dew not only the desert of our own souls, but also the parched and impoverished places of our world. Epiphany calls us to journey forth like the Magi bearing a treasure trove of precious gifts. Epiphany calls us into mission.
Epiphany reminds us that Jesus came that all might have life in abundance. Such work is scarcely ours alone to accomplish, but we are to take our part in God’s vision of a world transformed through Christ. But if the complexities that surround efforts to alleviate global poverty make us feel riddled with confusion, Epiphany tells us that seemingly unsolvable challenges are not impossible when we live in God’s light. Epiphany carries forth transformation.
The Millennium Development Goals offer an effective tool in organizing our participation in God’s vision of a world transformed through Christ and in mission. Many church families and communities have embraced the MDGs as a way to work to eradicate global poverty. There are many ways we can do our part: we can choose locally grown food to help small farmers or support a microfinancing project that helps co-ops in Tanzania or Guatemala. We can write to our congressional representatives, asking them to support bills that eliminate poverty and share with friends these important issues. The glory of this season gives us our own chance to answer the Epiphany question “What gifts do I bear?” Just as the Magi came bearing gifts in honor of the Messiah, we too have our own treasure trove of gifts to offer our impoverished world on behalf of Christ.
When we live in God’s light our gifts abound. What gifts will you share to make this a brighter world?