February 13, 2025
Good afternoon.
Western Christians celebrate Epiphany when Jesus is presented to the Gentiles in the visit of the Wise People. Eastern Christians or the Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany as the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Some others celebrate it with the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding at Cana. We probably argue about this holy day. Mennonites do not really celebrate the season of Epiphany ( this Sunday will be the sixth Sunday of Epiphany ). Historians believe that the Church has has in its calendar since 200 AD.
Epiphany in the dictionary means ” a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. ” outside of the Christian tradition. There is a clothing store in Elora called Epiphany. I do not think I would have a epiphany moment if I went shopping there. But, maybe for you it might be such a moment of revelation. You just never know where God might show up in our world. God is everywhere and nowhere ? God is hard to pin down, sometimes. We do not see God, but we have faith that God is working.
Can you name a moment of Epiphany that you have experienced in God or the sacred ? In my home church, a Mennonite minister came from Russia on a Sunday morning. This was before the Soviet Union fell apart in 1989. He was a very large man, with a black suit and spoke both German and Russian. Our minister, David Neufeld, introduced him, and said that he would sing before he preached. It was a epiphany for me. It was the deepest bass voice I had ever heard . He did not need a piano to hit the notes. I remember that I almost began to laugh because it was so amazing. Another moment of sudden revelation was in hearing the stories of Cambodians. They had endured great suffering including genocide by its own people. My reaction was that I must do something, so we were obligated to tell their story. They had no more tears to tell it themselves. God was there in the suffering.
Where have you met Jesus/God in the most profound and sudden way ? A song A person A Scripture A thunderstorm A bird, a fruit or a vegetable.Praying for a Epiphany moment in the peacemaking in Gaza. AMEN
Epiphany moment last Sunday.
Fred
Ponder Anew 