We are beginning the season of Epiphany this month. The first day of Epiphany is on January 6th and this day is the last day of Christmas. On January 6, we remember the wise men following the star to Bethlehem. Jesus would have been one to two years old when they reached him. In this time of Epiphany, we are to meditate on the manifestation of Christ and mainly four events: The birth of Christ, the visit of the Magi, the Baptism of our Lord, and The Wedding of Cana.
These events mark the journey from birth to Jesus’ ministry in the four manifestations of Christ. The birth is the witness of the birth of the son of God, where the angels bore witness and the shepherds bowed before Jesus, representing Israel. The visit of the of the Magi revealed Jesus to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit descended at his baptism, and God declared Jesus’ identity as his Son. Then the first miracle at the Wedding in Cana revealed Jesus’ divinity over nature. It is through Jesus that God disclosed himself to all mankind.
God made himself known so we might know him. We do not have a sign to follow like the star the wisemen followed and we were not at the wedding of Cana where he turned water into wine. We still have faith regardless of not being witnesses to the signs of his divinity. We believe he was the true Son of God. We still follow his signs in our life. Many people in this congregation have witnessed miracles in their lives; we told stories about them during Lent last year in our testimonies. We heard many incredible stories, and I invite all of you to share your stories during Lent this year. Christ has worked in all our lives and those signs point to his divinity.
We also see signs of Christ in worship. Those signs are in our sacraments when we participate in the Eucharist and participate in Holy Baptism. We visibly see Christ at work in forgiving our sins through the Holy Spirt and flesh and blood, and we are invited to follow the signs he gives us to meet him in grace. The sacraments are our star we follow to meet Christ. Follow them and you will meet your Father in Heaven.
Pastor Jim
The Rev. James FitzGerald