Sunday, January 06, 2019
For many, the Festival of Epiphany is perhaps the least observed celebration of the church year. Immediately following Advent and Christmas, it is often lost in the post-holiday preoccupation with restoring order, paying bills, and getting back to work. In the midst of "getting things back to normal," celebrating this festival may enrich the good news of Christ that we anticipated in Advent and celebrated at Christmas. The meaning of "epiphany" is "manifestation" as it commemorates the first time Jesus' divinity manifested itself through the visit of the Three Kings (also known as the Magi or Wise Men); it may also mean "a new understanding." When the Magi approached the child Jesus, new understandings came to them and to all about who Christ would be a messiah for the entire world.