What's an Epiphany?
Wish someone at the office a happy Epiphany.
What’s an epiphany?
A) A fictional flying elephant
B) A method of smoking that allows one to puff without inhaling
C) Piphany with its own dot com
D) Something hidden that’s revealed
Here’s a hint. Epiphany, in some ways, is an “expansion” of Christmas. It increases our Savior in our faith and lives. Fred Lindemann, explains in his “The Sermon and the Propers” (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, Vol I, p. 136):
“At Christmas we commemorate a historical event, the Birth. True, behind this event lies a great idea of salvation, yet this idea is reserved for those who search beneath surface. The majority rejoices over the fact that the Savior was born and [the majority] in spirit stands happily at the Manger. The Epiphany, however, commemorates no event but presents an idea that assumes concrete form only through facts in our Lord’s life. The idea of the Epiphany is that the Christ, who was born in Bethlehem is recognized by the world. He was manifested as God, and the world recognizes him as God ...
At Christmas God appears as man and ... at Epiphany man appears before the world as God ... This represents an important advance in the Church’s teaching.”
So, the answer above is D (though I’ll personally congratulate anyone who launches an e-piphany website). Epiphany is a festival day on the Christian church year calendar (January 6) and then a season of Epiphany follows. The humble and helpless baby Jesus Man is revealed to us as the mighty and merciful Savior God.
We follow the wise men guided by a divine star to worship the King of all people in all the world. We hear the testimony of the Father at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” We watch Jesus do only things that God can do: turn water into wine, heal the sick, and raise the dead. We walk up the mountain with Peter, James and John and witness the Transfiguration of Jesus, beholding his glory and brilliance as God. Wow!
And all the while Epiphany happens again. In us. The glory of God is revealed in our lives, shining in the dark places and making them glow with the brilliance of promises made and kept. The saving forgiveness of God is revealed in our lives, cleansing sin and purifying all the parts of our body for service to our Lord. The strength of God is revealed in our lives, girding us up to stand firm through times of trouble and to take leaps of joyful faith into uncharted days and months ahead. That’s Epiphany.
“The Word become flesh and made his dwelling among us (Christmas). We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (Epiphany)” (John 1:14).
Try this. Wish someone at the office or in the line at Kohl’s a Happy Epiphany. As they give you a weird look, give them the quiz above ... and a brief “lifter-upper” about what season we will now celebrate.
PRAYER: With a bright star of old you led the wise men to Jesus, Lord God. And they worshiped him. With your bright shining grace, lead me on to Jesus once again. Lead me closer. Let me see him with more detail. Let me watch him, through the Scriptures, heal me, help me and raise me from a dull following to a dazzling faith. Let me worship him with greater gifts. Amen.