Saint Mark Daily Advent Devotional – January 6, 2015

Epiphany of the Lord

by Josh Noblitt

Scripture: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”  Isaiah 60:1

Epiphany is the day we commemorate the manifestation of Jesus for the first time to the gentile (non-Jewish) people, specifically in the story of the wise men.  A further understanding of the word “epiphany” tells us that it is also a sudden manifestation, or perception, of the essential meaning of something.

Jesus came to us in the vulnerable, precious and sacred form of a newborn baby.  When I hold a newborn baby, I feel a sense of intimacy, a sense of protection, a sense of closeness that I don’t often feel in other ways.  There is no judgment, no past or future to worry about, and no expectations.  There is only the present moment, holding new life and new possibilities.  Thinking about encountering God in this way also opens us up to new possibilities of intimacy and vulnerability with God, both holding God as close to us as a newborn baby and God holding us close in the same way.

When we hold God close and allow ourselves to be aware of God holding us close, we are able to see moments of epiphany everyday. God is present all around us, sustaining, transforming and renewing all of creation.  I think of these moments of epiphany also as glimpses of Beloved Community–like moments when we see the essence of God’s love reflected in the people around us, in a beautiful sky-scape, in a small piece of nature, or in a new truth that makes itself known to us.

May 2015 be the year of Epiphany in your life, where God’s love, truth and peace are seen and felt in all you do.

Prayer:  God, as we look out across a new year, may we experience your love in new and profound ways and in turn share that same love with others.  Amen.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church