Dear Christ the King Family,
Though the Christmas season continues past this weekend, I often find that Epiphany launches me back into the more normal rhythms of our lives. Travels are over, children are back in school, and we once again return to both the joys and the struggles of everyday life. While Christ’s coming seems so evident when we pause for a few days around December 25th, that can be harder to remember as we step further into January.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah tells Israel to “raise your eyes and look about” because “your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” Although this message was originally written for God’s chosen people long before Jesus’ birth, it continues to speak to us now: Jesus is still here – do you see him?
When I think about the feast of Epiphany, I often reflect on how nice it must have been for the wise men to have this bright, incredible star directing them toward the infant Jesus. How lucky they were to have something so painfully obvious, so bright that they could follow it as they traveled to give glory to this newborn king. I am tempted to think of this story only as one firmly situated in the Bible, something that happened two thousand years ago that reminds us to give glory to Jesus Christ.
Though we live in dark times, there are still stars that point to the child Jesus and the resurrected Jesus alike. In fact, we are called to be those stars, those signs of God’s presence in the world that give glory and praise to our redeemer, while drawing others closer to the person of Jesus. As Christians, we serve as these effective witnesses when the way we live our lives causes others to stop in awe and recognize that we are pointing to an infinite love that can save us all – a profound love found within this church, in the sacraments, and in the real presence of the Eucharist. However, we also point to his merciful love in other instances of recognizing the person of Christ, such as in encounters with the poor, moments of forgiveness with family, or generous healing after divisive conversations.
Though immediate thoughts of Christmas celebrations might be starting to fade behind us, today’s celebration of Epiphany reminds us of God’s ongoing presence among us, a presence that deserves our adoration and promises us justice in this broken world. Christ lives in each person, even outside of these church walls, and God calls us to be beacons of his divine presence.
Peace,
Lindsey Barrett
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