Epiphany???

January 6, Epiphany...  It's interesting to me to notice the variety of ways this date "is" or "is not" significant.  To some, it's a minor notation on the calendar, to others, it's the event of the season. Then there are those that say, "Huh?" to the entire conversation. I guess I'm somewhere between the middle and extreme, if middle means I've heard of it!  :)


To understand, let me back up a bit.  First of all, there's Advent. That's the time counting back the four Sundays before Christmas. (Personally, I love Advent.) This is the time we remember the waiting for the promised Messiah, the one foretold in prophecy.  It is the time of preparation for Christmas, the weeks of hope, peace, joy, and love. Then there's Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  MOST people, even those without faith, celebrate Christmas, even when they ignore the meaning.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...."  Just a song? 12 days of Christmas? What's THAT all about anyway? When you look at the calendar, you notice that there are 12 days between Christmas and January 6.... you guessed it, the 12 days of Christmas.  Some celebrate the 12th Night with celebration and parties.  This brings us to Epiphany.  Traditionally, this celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men, the Magi, when they visited Jesus. Most historians agree that this took a while, and that Jesus was a toddler by then.  In some countries, Epiphany is celebrated more than Christmas, and the children get gifts, just as the Wise Men brought gifts. They believe that the Wise Men bring them, not Santa Claus. It's often called "Three Kings Day."

Looking at the word, many use the word Epiphany to mean a newfound awareness, or an "ah-ha!" moment, when something suddenly becomes clear. If you think about it, the arrival of the Wise Men, after their journey to find Jesus, was definitely an Epiphany. It suddenly became clear that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, the Savior they were waiting for!

They brought gifts, such as gold, that you'd bring an earthly King. They also brought frankincense, used for temple worship, a gift for the Son of God. And finally, they brought myrrh, which was used for healing and embalming, remembering His ministry and time on the cross. What an Epiphany this is! This IS most certainly, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, our Savior.

While many hurried and got their Christmas things put away, some by New Years, and some the days that followed, mine remains up until Epiphany, until Christmas is finally really over.  Is it my love of the Kings? Not really,  In my case, it's a convenient excuse... a deadline extension  that allows me to celebrate Christmas just a little bit longer. But I love the holiday anyway. There are Wise Men on my Christmas tree. While they weren't present at the Nativity, they were soon on their way, and are an important part of the story.

Early Christians celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany before they celebrated Christmas. In another post, I'll share another connection Epiphany has.... you just might be surprised.

Linus Understood the Light of Love

Sharing two entries from my Advent book, "A Candle is Burning."

The Light of Love

 Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, the week that represents Love. As we light the last purple candle, along with the other candles, the light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world.  His birth brings light to the darkness of despair.

John 1:1-5

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

In the beginning, was God, and He sent His Son to became flesh, in other words, man. Jesus showed us how to put God’s love into practice, even dying to do so. God wants a relationship with you, just as you are.

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 As we begin the last week of Advent, the waiting is almost over. Soon, we’ll celebrate the birth that changed everything, when God’s love arrived as a newborn.

When the candle of Love is lighted, remember God’s love for you and share it with others.

Linus Understood

 One of the most familiar Christmas traditions is the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. It has been almost 50 years since it first aired in 1965. Charles Schultz insisted on using the voices of real children, which was a new idea. He also insisted on using average children, not professionals. The CBS executives had serious reservations about this. They were especially concerned about Linus quoting from the Bible on network television and almost refused!

50% of the television viewing audience watched it that night and it got wonderful reviews. They related to Charlie Brown’s question, “What is the real meaning of Christmas?” The children’s play, the overly-decorated doghouse, and search for the perfect tree represented the false emphasis of the holiday then, and still happens today.

 Luke 2:12-14

“And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

When Linus quoted the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke, he touched the hearts of viewers. It is my favorite scene from any movie. You may want to share it with someone today..

 from my book, "A Candle is Burning"

Joy and the Angels

      Like many of you, the events in Newtown, CT just overwhelmed me. The idea of celebrating Christmas amidst such tragedy seems impossible. Yet, while I had so much to say.. at the same time, felt there was nothing I could say and the blog has been silent.  One thing I wrestled with is the complete lack of joy that will be possible there, while at the same time, being the third week of Advent, we remember the joy. 

      There are tragedies surrounding the birth of Christ, yet we don't focus on them. For one, King Herod had all the male babies age 2 and under killed, just to try to remove the threat he felt from Jesus, who was born King of the Jews. What sorrow. But life does go on, and there is within me a search for normalcy. It will be a long time coming, if it ever arrives, in Newtown, but even they will be going through the motions for the children that survived.

 JOY AND THE ANGELS

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.

                             Luke 2:13-14

On the Third Sunday of Advent,  we light the pink candle, the candle that represents JOY.  Joy is an overwhelming sense of happiness.  One very special example of showing joy is of the angels that proclaimed that Jesus was born.  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men” they said.

Angels are God’s messengers.  They are used throughout the entire Bible to inform people of things.  An angel spoke to Zacharias and Elizabeth when she was to have a child.  An angel also spoke to Mary and Joseph.  They informed them of the upcoming birth and reassured them that it would be all right.

Once Jesus arrived, the angels were sent to tell the shepherds that were in the fields.  What an amazing sight!  No wonder the shepherds were frightened by the bright light at first!  It was certainly not something that had ever happened to them before.

A few years ago, the children and youth did a play called, “The Angel Alert” that presented a light-hearted look at what might have occurred the night Jesus was born.  They were “on alert” so that they would be ready to announce the birth.  They had practice drills and choir practice in order to be ready.

It was a fun play that reminded us of the excitement looking towards that important birth.  More importantly, it reminds us of the need to be ready to do whatever God leads us to do.  Sometimes, maybe it will be something as significant as the angels telling of Christ’s birth.  More often, it may be something much more routine, but still a part of God’s bigger plan.

A prayer for today

 O Lord, I want to be mindful that angels are not the only ones capable of telling of the good news of Jesus’ birth.  Give me the wisdom and courage to approach others, sharing with them the joy that I have found in Jesus Christ.  My heart grieves for those that have lost loved ones,  and for those that have seen things they will never forget.

Remind me, O Lord, that I too, should be ready for you.  Ready to listen to your insight, ready to follow your will, and ready when you return once again.

Amen

This is from my Advent 
devotional, As We Wait, 
a book that shares the 
meanings and stories 
of the Advent season. 

Deck the Halls

You've heard the expression, "His eyes are bigger than his stomach," when it comes to someone taking more food than they can eat. Well, when it comes to Christmas decorating, I have more "want to" than "can do" it seems. It's a common problem for many people. Part of my frustration, also like many, is that the "can do" is a smaller amount than in years past. 

It seems that I need to sit back and take some of my own advice. This weekend, I came across something I wrote many years ago, back when I had kids at home and was working full-time, but it rang true for me today. It's from my book, "As We Wait," an Advent book that shares about the symbols and customs of Advent, while at the same time, reminding the reader of the real reason for the season.

DECK THE HALLS

There are many decorating traditions.  One of my absolute “must-do” traditions is the official “Hanging of the Greens” at church, marking the beginning of the Advent season for me as long as I can remember.

My mother’s rule was that decorations could not go up until December.  The boxes of decorations lined the downstairs hallway after Thanksgiving, but they were just waiting.  She was just as picky that it be put away by New Year’s Eve in order to start the year “fresh.”

She must have worked nonstop on December 1^st.  When we got home from school, the house would be totally transformed.  There would be wreaths on the front door, candles in the windows, the crèche was set up, stockings were hung, and Christmas music would be playing.  She even changed the curtains in the kitchen.  We had red curtains used only at Christmastime.

Some families decorate their houses to look like magical fairylands.  Others have a calmer approach.  I liked putting up garland and red bows on our picket fence and a wreath on the door because most of my decorating was inside.  (It looked wonderful when it snowed!)

On Christmas Night, my mom would say, “Let’s go look at Christmas lights,” as if it were a new idea.  Since we did this every year, it was hardly a surprise.  My dad drove us around downtown Nashville to see the store windows with animated decorations.  I loved seeing the tall office buildings with messages spelled out with the darkened rooms.  Then we always drove around looking at decorated houses.  I tried doing this with my own children but it was harder to find as many decorated houses during the years people cut back on energy so we never developed that tradition.  More people do it now.

The process of decorating is sometimes a part of the joy.  Others may dread that part but enjoy the result.  I have always enjoyed relaxing in a room lit only by the lights of the Christmas tree.  It is so pretty and peaceful.

In the centuries before Christ was born, it was common to decorate houses with evergreens, holly, and wreaths as a symbol of life.  To the ancient Romans, evergreens such as holly and fir trees represented peace and joy.  These were adopted by the early Christians to symbolize eternal life.  We still use these things today.

It does not matter what you do or do not do when it comes to decorating.  It may suit your lifestyle best to put a wreath on your door or lights on an existing ficus tree if anything.  Perhaps you know of someone that would like decorations but cannot put them up.  You would probably enjoy it as much as the other person would if you offered to help put them up.  (Return to put them away when the season ends.)

My parents had a real tree but only for a week.  My lifestyle is different.  I work full time, run all the errands, we traveled after Christmas, and we prefer to enjoy the decorations for a longer time.  For me, artificial trees are used and they may be up until Epiphany.  I wait until after December 1, but it may be days later.

The important thing is not to follow a tradition for the sake of following it.  Traditions offer a certain sense of order and stability, but if they are followed only because you always have and they have become a burden, it is time to consider alternatives and find your best fit.

A prayer for today

Lord, be in my heart this season in all that I see and do.  Help me remember that it is the spirit of the season that matters.  Thank you for Jesus who brings us such joy.

This is  from my book, "As We Wait," 

an Advent book that shares personal 

stories while it teaches about the symbols 

and customs of Advent. At the same time, 

we are reminded of the of the real reason

 for the season. It's been recently updated.