Over the centuries, this day has had a number of names: Little Christmas, Three Kings Day, Theophany, Twelfth Day – but on the church calendar, it is Epiphany. My Methodist upbringing was fairly minimal when it came to the liturgical year, so we barely noticed when we moved from Christmas to Epiphany; the colors remained white, and little was said about the meaning of this new and important season. Epiphany is that season between Christmas and Lent; it begins with the Wise Men finally getting to Jesus and His parents, and it is a season when we see God at work in especially meaningful ways through the life of Jesus. Of course, for Christians, every season (except for Advent) is supposed to do that. But I digress.
In modern parlance, when we have an epiphany, we have a moment of recognition, clarity, or revelation. If you have never had one, it is really hard to explain. I can think of a few recognitions of truth in my own life that completely changed the course of my thinking and being, and they weren’t always good. For me, they were always recognitions that the things I thought were true were not. They were moments of great elation or great disappointment; my epiphanies forced me to rethink what I believed about life, God, and human nature. Regardless of the nature of an epiphany, once you have had one, you can never go back to where you were before. Unless you like to live in denial.
I think it would be really damaging to allow our epiphanies to ruin us, and I know people who have done just that. They have given up, because being lied to by those you love and respect is really hard to take. Those who were able to move through their epiphanies and come out healthy have been able to move forward, aware of the truth that not everyone is always honest or clear or able to see what is real. And when those realizations are God-centered, they can never lead us down dark paths. Where these thoughts come from, I have no idea. Maybe it is God whispering in my ear, or maybe it my subconscious breaking through my ignorance. Regardless, I have learned to be open to new ideas that make life more true and real, even if, at first, I am unhappy or annoyed by them. Living with lies imprisons us; living with Truth sets us free. Pay attention to your epiphanies – they will change your life.
Prayer – Holy God, for the ways You speak through and to us, we give you thanks. Amen.
Today’s art is “Epiphany” by Claire Mack.