Epiphany

Happy Feast of the Epiphany!

For some, this means a lot. For others, nothing. Well, I thought I would do a little reasearch and see what this day is all about, or at least where the observance of it originated. (These are the kinds of things I spend my time thinking about...)

So I found the following description on a website called, ShareFaith:
Epiphany: Observed on January 6^th, the Epiphany celebration remembers the three miracles that manifest the divinity of Christ. The name "Epiphany" comes from the Greek word Epiphania, and means "to show, make known, or reveal." The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a commemoration of the birth of Christ. Later, additional meanings were added - the visit of the three Magi, Christ's baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana. These three events are central to the definition of Epiphany, and its meaning is drawn from these occurrences.

As a child, we always left all our Christmas decorations up until the day that Epiphany was celebrated. As an adult, I have kept this tradition. (Honesty time: this is not for some admirable attempt to honor a tradition, I just really dislike un-decorating.)

Wikipedia describes an epiphany as " the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has 'found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture.'"

So I thought about this for a little while, and you really can connect the two. God revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus. An epiphany is a realization of the larger meaning of something. I also read that the Magi (who are described in the bible as wise men of the time, and there isn't a specific number mentioned in scripture) were the first to publically recognize Jesus as King, by bringing gifts that would be fit for royalty at the time. And those Magi were the most learned of their time. So the Epiphany celebrates the realization of God's gift of his Son to His children.

So, I have decided to look at this day in a new way. No longer will I look at it as the day that I have to un-decorate. I will choose to focus on the realization of God to us through the gift of salvation, His son Jesus, the last piece of the puzzle!

Thanks for hanging with me through my musings!

Happy Epiphany!

Danielle <><