This coming Sunday, January 6, is the Feast of the Epiphany when the church celebrates the arrival of the Magi from the east. The word epiphany means manifestation, appearing or showing.
Epiphany refers both to the appearing of Christ in the world and to the arrival of the wise ones who followed the star, welcomed the child and paid him homage. Our worship on Epiphany invites us to consider how we, in turn, journey into the path of following Christ and make manifest our faith in incarnational ways.
As far as I am concerned, no one has captured this in words quite like educator, theologian and civil rights leader, Howard Thurman, who wrote:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…
And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say....
the work of Christmas begins...
As we enter this New Year, may the manifestation of God’s light and love for the world in Jesus Christ, be our guide as we engage in the work of Christmas.
