On Epiphany, Resolutions and Discipleship

Epiphany coincides with the New Year, and marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry and call to discipleship.

Happy New Year, friends! We are now in the season of Epiphany in the Christian church, celebrating the light of God manifest in the world.

Speaking of light, my weekly Climate Prayer Vigil continues on Parliament Hill in Ottawa every Thursday, from noon to 1 p.m. Please join me! In-person or light a candle wherever you are, and pray with me.

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Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woods-covered-with-snow-6526177/

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
² For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.
³ Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴ Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
⁵ Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
⁶ A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.  (Isaiah 60:1-6)

It may feel hard to find the light right now. With the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing war in Ukraine, genocide in Palestine, and the climate emergency in every pocket of the world, we may be relating more to verse 2 in the above passage: “For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples.” Yet, as Christians, we are invited to look for the light of Epiphany. Epiphany means manifestation; sudden revelation. We are invited to look for where the light of God, no matter the darkness in the world, has become manifest.

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This essay makes the links between Epiphany, the new year, and Jesus’ call to discipleship. Upgrade your subscription here to read it and everything in the archives, and to join the community in conversation through the comments section!