I’ve Had an Epiphany!

Yes, I’ve had an epiphany. Today. Actually, I’ve had 67 consecutive Epiphanies, since I’ve lived 67 consecutive January 6th’s, the day the Church has long designated as the Epiphany. (Although, the term “consecutive” is a bit redundant, since the only way for me to live 67 non-consecutive January 6th’s is to have died before a January 6th and then been brought back to life after  that date. And as far as I know, that hasn’t happened.)

Normally, when people say they’ve had an epiphany, they’re saying they’ve had some sudden insight or realization, like the cartoons that show a light bulb over someone’s head to signify the character has just had an idea pop into their head. Examples in daily life might include: parents who realizes just how caught up in social media their child is when they discover that child’s media page full of hundreds of pictures, likes and dislikes. Or when a doctor’s lab test scares you enough to make you realize you need to start exercising or you’re soon going to have serious health issues. You have had an epiphany about your health.

An epiphany doesn’t create something new; it just makes known to someone a thing that was already true. Thus, if  I have an epiphany about corruption in Washington, D.C., my sudden realization doesn’t create the corruption; the corruption was already going on. This point is important to understand, because an epiphany is a kind of revelation, a making known of something to someone.

A word often used to define “epiphany” is “manifestation.” In this sense, an epiphany is a fulfillment of something that was foretold and is now coming together or taking place. Thus, a winter storm can be tracked and forecast for days ahead of time, but finally manifests itself when the snow starts falling. The classic example is that of a hurricane, which is tracked across the ocean and warned about for a long time before it finally hits land and does its damage. The hurricane was manifested when it dumped its rain and wind onto the targeted state or country, even though the storm already existed.

In our nation’s history, the term, “manifest destiny” was used to assert the (averred divine) plan for the United States to fill the North American continent from Atlantic to Pacific. Our destiny was considered proper and inevitable, to spread across the entire land; the destiny was made manifest in its fulfillment.

So, an epiphany has two ideas associated with it: first, that something which was foretold is finally taking place, or becoming manifest. Second, that people come to realize the reality and truth of what is taking place. Both of those ideas can be seen in the Church’s use of the term Epiphany to designate a certain day (and season) of the Church year:

The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast day was in AD 361. In the Eastern churches, the festival grouped together all the earliest events in Jesus’s life, up to and including his baptism and even his first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. In the Western churches, the emphasis was on the visit of the Magi as recorded in Matthew 2. We have followed the Western tradition, at least as far as the actual day of Epiphany on January 6th.

Epiphany is also the season of the Church year which begins January 6th and lasts until the onset of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Because the date of Ash Wednesday varies each year depending on the day of Easter, the length of Epiphany also varies. This year, the season of Epiphany runs through March 5th, with Ash Wednesday on March 6th. During that season, we do commemorate not only the visit of the Magi, but also Jesus’ baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and the Transfiguration.

You can see how Christ is revealed to the world in each of these events: the visit of the Magi reveals Christ to the nations as fulfillment of the prophesied king; at his baptism, Christ is revealed as the Son of God who is beginning his earthly ministry; at Cana, Jesus’ divine power is revealed in his first miracle; and at the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John behold Christ’s divine glory. By celebrating these events, we are recognizing the manifestation of who Christ is to the world.

When the Magi visited the infant Jesus, they did not just stumble across him while on vacation; they intentionally went to Judea to find the one who was to be born the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). They knew the birth had been prophesied (probably from the writings of Daniel) and went to see the manifestation of that prophecy in their day. By being found as foretold, Jesus was made known to the Gentile nations, represented by the Magi. The visit did not make Jesus to be the King of the Jews; he was already that by nature. The visit just recognized what was already true.

When thinking about the Epiphany, and considering what difference such a celebration might make to us, I am reminded of Martin Luther’s comments in his Small Catechism when he describes the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. When he speaks of the words, “Hallowed be thy name,” He says that God’s name is already hallowed, so what we are praying is that his name be hallowed by us. Likewise, when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we know that his kingdom will come, but are praying that it comes in us. And finally, when we pray, “Thy will be done,” we know that God’s will, will be done even without our prayer; we are praying that his will be done by us.

So also with the Epiphany. It reveals things about Jesus Christ that are already true, things that are true about his nature, and things in his life and actions that fulfill God’s promises. When we celebrate that nature and those events, we are not causing them to be true; they already are true, we are just recognizing them for what they are. And by doing so, we are affirming the importance of who Christ is and what he has done for us.

When we celebrate the coming of the Magi, we are affirming that Jesus is the King of the Jews and of the nations, for the Gentile Magi came to worship him and bring him gifts suitable for a king. When we sing, We Three Kings, we stand in the place of those wise men of old as we sing, “Gold I bring to crown him again,” “Frankincense to offer have I,” and “Myrrh is mine,”and so on. We are acknowledging for ourselves, and to the world, that Jesus is “King and God and Sacrifice.”* We are affirming Jesus is our King.

Likewise, in all the celebrations of Epiphany, we are just recognizing what is already true about Jesus Christ. He is King, he is the Son of God, he is divine in his power and glory. We are saying that we affirm who Christ is and what he has done. For those of us who have known and believed in Christ our entire lives, we may not have a specific “light bulb” moment when we first realized who Jesus is. But that’s okay; it doesn’t change who he is, and now we can join with those who have just had an “epiphany” about Christ in celebrating the Son of God who came to seek and to save the lost. May this season encourage you as you consider the very nature of our God and Savior!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 2, Matthew 3:13-17, John 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-13

As you read Matthew 2, take note of all the statements that show the Magi arrived to see Jesus later than his birth. They were not at the stable, though we usually include them in nativity scenes.

• We three Kings, originally Three Kings of Orient, written by John Henry Hopkins in 1857.