Epiphany refers to both a specific day, and a season. January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is the celebration of Jesus first being revealed to Gentiles, when Wise Men from the East knelt before him and gave him treasures. As a season, Epiphany is a representation of the unveiling divinity of Jesus. Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, Messiah, and Redeemer was not revealed at once, but over a progressive period of time.
The Gospels portray Jesus’ ministry as one to three years, whereby even those closest to him did not fully understand who he was or the extent of the Gospel until after Jesus had returned to heaven! There is grace and comfort here. The Christian life is one of progressive understanding of Jesus. If you do not feel like you understand who Jesus is, then take comfort. This is normal and expected.
The focus of this season will be Jesus’ invitation from John 1:39. Jesus, approached by Andrew and John, wondering if he is the Lamb of God, are invited to “Come and see.” The life of a disciple is one where we walk with Jesus to learn from him. We begin the year with a reminder that we are first, foremost, and always, disciples of Jesus who invites us to come and see.
In the liturgical year we live the life of Jesus day after day until finally one day it becomes our own.
– Joan Chittister O.S.B.
Epiphany Resources:
Sermons
Every week, we post the sermon from the previous Sunday to the worship page of our website. You can find every sermon from the season by clicking the Sermons image.
Travel Companion
The Church year is a cyclical journey with God. We put together travel companions for the different seasons of the year, to help you make the most of them! Click the image below to find our Epiphany Travel Companion!
External Resources
Epiphany: The Season of Glory by Fleming Rutledge
The feast of Epiphany and its following season are not as well observed as they should be. Many of us associate Epiphany with the visit of the Magi but don’t know much more about it. In this short volume, priest and theologian Fleming Rutledge expounds the primary biblical texts and narrative arc of the season, inviting us to discover anew “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
What may at first seem to be simply an arbitrary arrangement of ancient holy days, or liturgical seasons, this book explains their essential relationship to one another and their ongoing meaning to us today. It is an excursion into life from the Christian perspective, from the viewpoint of those who set out not only to follow Jesus but to live and think as Jesus did. And it proposes to help us to year after year immerse ourselves into the sense and substance of the Christian life until, eventually, we become what we say we are―followers of Jesus all the way to the heart of God. It is an adventure in human growth; it is an exercise in spiritual ripening.
- Buy it on Amazon, here.