A Brief Guide to Epiphany
As we approach the final days of Christmas, we may be tempted to jump into the adult stages of Jesus' ministry, but Epiphany illuminates even more so the work of the Christ-child before the nations.
It doesn’t have the same ring as “Merry Christmas” or “Christ is risen!” but it carries significant repercussions for our Christmas and Easter theology. In some sense, Epiphany is the key that unlocks both classic Christian festivals. Epiphany secures the triumph of Jesus’ life and mission.
In Epiphany, we celebrate the “manifestation” of Jesus to the Gentiles. When the Magi came to give him gifts, they gave him gifts as a foretelling of the great gift the Son will give the Father at the end of history (I Cor. 15:24-26). When Christ returns, he returns with the kingdom as a gift to the Father. Jesus receives gifts, but he is the great gift-giver of history.
The Song of Simeon
Jesus introduces himself to the Gentile world as a fulfillment of Simeon’s song. He is a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel (Matt 2:1-12). Jesus’ entire ministry is a ministry of gift-giving, which culminates in his body given for his people (Lk. 22:19). Indeed, gift-giving is a crucial component of the revelation of Jesus to the world.
We can be sure of the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) because Epiphany’s gifts to Jesus are gifts that will be dispersed among men. Jesus is the unfailing gift-giver to the nations. He has never failed to provide for his people. Even in Israel’s underserved position, he still offers them life and light.
The Gift-Giving Home and Church
For the Christian, Epiphany signals a season of discipleship through gift-giving rituals. The entire biblical premise of sanctification entails a life of exchanges (my life for yours). To reveal Christ's work to the nations, Christians must consider and adjust their ordinary rituals accordingly. We can consider three sets of questions to build a gift-giving environment in our homes and churches:
First, how can my home be a gift of refreshment to my children and those who enter it? Have I made my house a house of prayer? Is it perfumed with the aroma of heaven?
Second, how/what are my daily habits? In what ways are those rituals bringing life to my own soul and those around me? Am I refreshing my spirit to refresh others in the hope of the Gospel?
Third, how am I being apostolic in my endeavors? How is my private and public life sharing the mission of Messiah to the world? Is my life manifesting glory in my community?
Conclusion
As we near the Epiphany season (Jan. 6-Feb. 13), we enter a season of unspeakable joy. Gifts were given to the blessed Lord, who gave gifts freely to men (Eph. 4:11-13).
Epiphany means to make known what was hidden. Christ’s presence was a mystery to the Gentiles, but now his life is made known to the nations as a babe and the cosmos's Creator. It speaks to our need to wrap our lives as gifts to those around us and be constantly on the lookout to give ourselves to others out of the abundance of gifts we have received from Christ, our manifested Lord.
Notations
I read my first Agatha Christie longer-short story, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding. It was my first exploration of Christie’s written work, though I have seen a few of her works in movie form. The reading experience was instructive as a bit of a foray into British traditionalism. In a delightful evening discussing the book and sipping good wine, my short-story expert, Dr. Sean Hadley, noted that Poirot is not generally the kind of inspector who changes his opinion. But in this piece, his Christmastide experience leads to his ultimate Christmas conversion in the embrace of a mystery, including dessert and dead corpses. The entire read was also convincing for preserving the matriarchal role in beautifying the home. Those who read it will understand.
An additional gem was my first experience watching 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life with the immediate and extended family. It crowned the 8th day of Christmas. The movie deserves its own review, but it should be noted that Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed restore a bit of sobriety to modern society in its pure view of family and marriage and walking through hardships while maintaining its fundamental premise of unity amid financial and emotional pain. The good ol’ days were far from perfect, but there was still what C.S. Lewis referred to as the Tao, which provided a sense of common and objective decency on the screen.
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I offer you this closing beauty from our 31st Wine and Psalm-Roar. I have listened to this everywhere I have gone since Friday. It carries such a sense of symbolic splendor to me. Perhaps it’s the full embrace of the music and rhythm by everyone:
Merry Christmas,
Uriesou Brito