Reading – Mathew 12:14-21
Today on the Church Calendar is the Feast of Epiphany. It doesn’t happen on a Sunday – so it is forgotten. Depending upon the time of Easter, the church has at least 5 “Sundays after Epiphany” and it can have up to 9 “Sundays after Epiphany”. That is roughly equal to the Easter Season, yet we don’t really celebrate Epiphany. What are we missing?
Epiphany is usually associated with light. The word even made it into a commercial in the modern zeitgeist.
When we speak of Epiphany we speak of blinding insights that change the way we live and move and have our being – sudden knowledge that takes years to comprehend. The Bible is full of Epiphanies: Paul on the road to Damascus, Peter, James and John on the mount of Transfiguration, Mary with the Angel Gabriel, The Ethiopian Eunuch, The Phillipian Jailer. John’s summary of Epiphanies is slightly melancholy – The light was in the world…but the world did not recognize him (John 1:10). But that does not stop the testimony. John 1:14 – but we have seen his Glory…or today’s reading, the Pharisees don’t see it, but the crowds know an epiphany when they see it.
What epiphany is your guiding light? What star are you following? What blinding insight are you attempting to comprehend or incorporate into your life? There is only one Epiphany whose light does not fade. It may seem hidden at times, but Jesus is the Epiphany of the Father who shines for all ages.
