The Light of the Word Has Dawned

I have mentioned several times in this column that I grew up going to churches that did not observe the Church Year.  I knew nothing of Lent, Advent, All Saints Day, and Epiphany.  Christmas, Easter, and Palm Sunday were the only special days that we observed in the tradition in which I was formed.  For the last ten years, however, I have been in a position to lead churches into the observance of some of the richness that can be found in the rhythms of the Church Year.  My spiritual life has been profoundly deepened.

This Sunday is “Epiphany Sunday.”  It is the close of the Advent Season and celebrates the revealing of Christ to the world.  The biblical stories that typically accompany this Sunday are the appearance of the Magi in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River, and Mary and Joseph’s encounter with Anna and Simeon at the Temple when they came to dedicate Jesus.  All of those narratives reveal that Jesus is the Savior for the whole world.  Epiphany is the perfect conclusion of the Christmas Story.  We are not to linger at the manger.  The Light of the world has come and we are to take Him and the gospel to the rest of the world. 

Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, our seasonal patterns reinforce the rhythms of the Church Year.  January is the coldest and darkest month of the year.  The further north one lives, the more profoundly one feels it.  But I don’t need to tell you that!  We require light to find our way and to stay healthy.  Along with the cold and dark of this season, however, we also have the hope and anticipation that the turning of a new year brings.  The desire for warmth and light along with the turning of the calendar converge to make the observance of Epiphany in the first days of January very meaningful.  We yearn and we hope.  It’s a powerful mix for spiritual growth.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Light of the world: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9).  Just as we need light in our homes, on our streets, and in our pathway, our world needs the light of Jesus that brings true hope, peace, joy, and love (remember the Advent themes?) to everyone who will receive him.  Look around.  It’s obvious.  As the new year dawns, we can see that the world is quite dark.  It urgently needs an “epiphany.”  We who have received the light of Christ are compelled to bring it to the people and places around us.  That is the mission of Christ.  That is the message of Epiphany.  Take your leave from the manger.  Put the Christmas stuff away.  And may the light of Christ fully shine in your heart throughout the new year.

I want to walk as a child of the light;

I want to follow Jesus.

God set the stars to give light to the world;

The star of my life is Jesus.

In him there is no darkness at all;

The night and the day are both alike.

The Lamb is the light of the city of God:

Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus!

(Kathleen Thomerson)