When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. (Matthew 2:9-10)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

On January 6^th, the wise men make their appearance. Most likely gifted astrologers, they have followed an emerging star in the sky to Judah and asked the ruler for further directions to find the King of the Jews.

An epiphany is a sudden observation or realization of a concept or idea. Epiphany specifically refers to a “manifestation of a divine being.” Most commonly it refers to the revelation of the Jewish Messiah to the Gentiles – known more commonly as – the wise men visit Jesus.

The promise of the Messiah was extended to those who were not Jewish. The gift of the Savior was bestowed on both the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus was recognized and acknowledged by foreigners as the true King come to save the world. God invited and went to the trouble of guiding non-Jews to celebrate and benefit from His gift to creation – His Son.

The joy of Christ’s incarnation, God made flesh, extended past the immediate community and into the whole world. ^“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:14,16)

The blessings of Christ’s birth have been extended to us. They were not given exclusively to one nation or people, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13) You are recipients of the amazing gift of the manifestation of Jesus Christ. God makes Himself known to you in Jesus Christ. God enters into your darkness to shine His light. God gives you eternal life, forgiveness of sins and salvation. You are now the children of God. Christ comes to you and is given to you.

You have your own Epiphany to spread to the rest of the world. Jesus Christ is come. God has guided you to Himself. Along with the wise men, you are privileged to worship the Lord, praise His name and know Him. The Day of Epiphany is a reminder of the light Christ shines in our own lives to claim us as His own.

Along with feasts, festivals, and grand epiphanies that make up our lives, we also have normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill days. The same is true of the church year.

As can be seen on the graph, the number of Sundays after Epiphany varies between four and eight. This variation is due to the set date in the Julian calendar of Epiphany and the lunar date calculation of Easter (based on the Jewish calendar determining Passover). This year, the season consists of a total of five Sundays between the Day of Epiphany and Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent).

The remainder of the Sundays fall into the category of ‘ordinary time.’ Ordinary Time consists of the non-commemorative Sundays between Epiphany and Lent and later between Pentecost and the end of the year. Basically, ‘ordinary time’ refers to any Sunday that is not reserved for any feast or festival days. It is a way that the larger liturgical church has compensated for the fixed date of Christmas and the more transient date of Easter. ‘Ordinary Time’ fills in the gaps caused by integrating the Julian and Lunar calendars.

The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus through all the seasons of the year and your life – the feasts, the fasts, and the ordinary. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.