Epiphany
Epiphany
It is never something that God owes us. We could fast in the desert for thirty years, or journey over field and fountain, moor and mountain. The epiphany of God to Jew and Gentile alike is grace. It is gift.
This gift prompts answering gift. The wise men to whom Christ’s star is revealed in the heavens bring precious gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The one who shook Elizabeth’s womb also recognizes Christ as an adult, hears the words, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” coming out of his own mouth as he suddenly comprehends (enough of) Christ’s identity and mission–and gives away his own ministry in response: “He must increase. I must decrease.”
Implicit in a true revelation of God, always, is a revelation of God’s generosity to us. And that generosity at the heart of God, manifested first in the Trinity himself and second in his provision for his creatures, inspires those created in his image to give as freely as they have received. He was perfectly entitled, again, to keep himself to himself. And so are we. Dependent, incomplete beings though we are, he gives most of us the option to pretend we do not owe anything to anyone.
But he also gives us the option to exchange gifts with Almighty God.
I do not know how to do this well. Do I try, stumblingly, without feeling or satisfaction, to awkwardly give to other people? Do I wait on God, pray that he will manifest himself to me in such a way that I cannot help but give myself? Perhaps both? And what of judgment, of my being called to account for what I have not given, what I have not done? How can we give freely, image forth God’s kindness, if we mainly do so in fear of being called to account and cast into the outer darkness? “I knew you to be a hard man, master…”
One of the weirdest things I sometimes see parents do is expect small children to be grateful, and then to be offended or laugh and say, “Look at how ungrateful they are!” when kids are given things and act like jerks about it. We still deal with this with one or two of our kids during a few of the days of Christmas each year. And sometimes it’s hilarious.
But because they won’t always be three, and ingratitude won’t always be cute, we’ve gotten in the habit of saying things like, “Now, we’re going to give you something today that is not a toy. You still need to say ‘Thank you, Mommy and Daddy.'” We’ve never been romantic enough about child-rearing to expect the little creatures that emerged from us to be naturally grateful about anything. We’re not (by this point) surprised when they act like little punks despite our best efforts to give them the world. But the more we’ve corrected this behavior and taught them to say grateful things (occasionally through threat of punishment), the more their responses have approached something that seems close to actual gratitude. But it’s a habit–first of behavior, then of mind–that we’ve had to inculcate. And we do it, not because we need their good behavior, but because it makes them happier people, in the long-run.
Implicit in a true revelation of God, always, is a revelation of God’s generosity to us.
I can’t easily answer the question about judgment I’ve posed above. But I wonder if one way to approach it isn’t simply to practice gratefulness when possible, even when uninspired–to mouth the right words and ask God’s mercy when our hearts are far from them. I wonder if the deliberate spiritual discipline of thanking God–of making yourself thank God–might not inculcate gradual epiphany.
Because the amazing thing is that though we usually do not recognize it, all that we have really is gift–bright boxes brimming over with revelation of God. It is our task to learn to view each season, each day, each hour, and each present moment–however painful or pleasurable–as both pure Gift and Word. We must train ourselves to participate in the epiphany that has already been provided. If we can train our children to practice gratitude (with their faltering help), perhaps God can even train us (with ours).
God bless you if you’ve been reading these this year! Drop us a line, let us know if the site has helped you, what you’ve enjoyed, and what you’d like to see change. We’d love to hear from you!
Happy Epiphany!
January 6
Activities
- Make use of one of the resources on the tabs below (carols, reflections, scripture, literature, etc.)
- Celebrate Epiphany by making use of any of the traditions around the world, from dressing as the three wise men and going door-to-door singing carols, to baking a King Cake, to giving gifts. Here are links with some ideas:
- Four Traditions (from Baylor)
- Wikipedia
- Catholic Herald
- Read the account in Matthew 2 and have your children draw a picture of the Magi bringing gifts to the house in Bethlehem. Note that the narrative never says there are only three, there is a house (rather than a stable) involved, and the event seems to be about two years after Jesus’ birth.
- Take down your Christmas decorations today.
presents!
Gift Giving
- Give one of the gifts you did not give at Christmas, or buy a new gift just for Epiphany. Or, if you’re all gifted out, that’s fine too! (We usually are done at this point.)
- Buy someone perfume or incense.
- NO CASH OPTION: Bake a King Cake or some other Epiphany pastry for someone.
Literature
The Journey of the Magi
This short poem by T.S. Eliot coincides with his conversion to Christianity.
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.’
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
Prayer
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(From the Book of Common Prayer)
Daily Scripture
Use a lectionary from your own tradition:
Alternatively, use one or more of the following readings:
Old Testament
Genesis 6 (RSV)
When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and set the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
Isaiah 6 (DRA)
In the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple.
2 Upon it stood the seraphims: the one had six wings, and the other had six wings: with two they covered his face, and with two they covered his feet, and with two they hew.
3 And they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory.
4 And the lintels of the doors were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts.
6 And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed.
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me.
9 And he said: Go, and thou shalt say to this people: Hearing, hear, and understand not: and see the vision, and know it not.
10 Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.
11 And I said: How long, O Lord? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land shall be left desolate.
12 And the Lord shall remove men far away, and she shall be multiplied that was left in the midst of the earth.
13 And there shall be still a tithing therein, and she shall turn, and shall be made a shew as a turpentine tree, and as an oak that spreadeth its branches: that which shall stand therein, shall be a holy seed.
Psalm 96 (KJV)
O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
New Testament
Ephesians 1:15-23 (AMP)
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; 17 [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. 18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].
Matthew 2:1-12 (ESV)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Sing With joy
Christmas Carols
WE THREE KINGS
We Three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.
Refrain:
O Star of Wonder, Star of Night,
Star with Royal Beauty bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect Light.
[GASPARD.]
Born a KING on Bethlehem plain,
GOLD I bring to crown Him again,
King for ever,
Ceasing never
Over us all to reign.
Refrain
[MELCHIOR.]
FRANKINCENSE to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising
All men raising,
Worship Him GOD on High.
Refrain
[BALTHAZAR.]
MYRRH is mine; its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;–
Sorrowing, sighing,
Bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
Refrain
Glorious now behold Him arise,
KING, and GOD, and SACRIFICE;
Heav’n sings Hallelujah:
Hallelujah the earth replies.
Refrain
THIS ENDRIS NIGHT
This endrisnight I saw a sight,
A star as bright as day,
And ev’r among, a maiden sung,
“Lully, bye bye, lullay.”
1. This lovely lady sat and sang,
And to her child did say,
“My son, my brother, father dear,
Why liest thou thus in hay?”
2. “My sweetest bird, ’tis thus required,
Though I be king veray,
But nevertheless I will not cease
To sing ‘Bye bye, lullay.'”
3. The child then spake in his talking,
And to his mother did say,
“Yea, I am known as heaven-king
In crib though I be laid.
4. “For angels bright down on me light;
Thou knowest ’tis no nay.
And for that sight thou may delight
To sing, ‘Bye bye, lullay.'”
5. “Now, sweet son, since thou art a king,
Why art thou laid in stall?
Why dost not order thy bedding
In some great kinges hall?
6. “Methinks ’tis right that king or knight
Should lie in good array.
And then among, it were no wrong
To sing ‘Bye bye, lullay.'”
7. “Mary mother, I am thy Child,
Though I be laid in stall;
For lords and dukes shall worship Me,
And so shall kingès all.
8. “Ye shall well see that kingès three
Shall come on this twelfth day.
For this behest give Me thy breast
And sing, By by, lullay.”
9. “Now tell, sweet Son, I Thee do pray,
Thou art my Love and Dear–
How should I keep Thee to Thy pay,
And make Thee glad of cheer?
10. “For all Thy will I would fulfill–
Thou knowest well, in fay;
And for all this I will Thee kiss,
And sing, By by, lullay.”
11. “My dear mother, when time it be,
Take thou Me up on loft,
And set Me then upon thy knee,
And handle me full soft.
12. “And in thy arm thou hold Me warm,
And keep Me night and day,
And if I weep, and may not sleep,
Thou sing, By by, lullay.”
13. “Now sweet Son, since it is come so,
That all is at Thy will,
I pray Thee grant to me a boon,
If it be right and skill,–
14. “That child or man, who will or can
Be merry on my day,
To bliss Thou bring—and I shall sing,
Lullay, by by, lullay.”
Join
less stress
