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Beloved Community,
This Friday, January 6th, is the Feast Day of The Epiphany. In the early church this was THE primary festival, second only to Easter Day and the Feast of the Resurrection. In the community, and among families, this was the day when gifts were exchanged. Christmas was a small, quiet observance. In the aftermath of Christmas, I have gone on a frenzy of organization, cleaning, and planning. It's partially how I'm wired, but it also reminds me that even with the joys of our celebrations, our spirits long for Ordinary Time. It is coming soon...on the 9th of this month, to be exact, after we observe the Baptism of Jesus this coming Sunday.
Epiphany is one of my favorite days in the year and I'm so pleased that we will gather with our neighbors from Broadview UCC and St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church for a service of Evensong. This service, as noted above, will feature the LMLC choir and combined choirs and I will offer the homily. It's at 7pm at the Florence Henry Memorial Chapel in the Highlands. We'll carpool from LMLC at 6:30 if you so desire.
For this Epiphany Day, I share with you this poem from the Community of the Sisters of the Church. May it bless all of your epiphanies.
I am the song of the Morning Star
adorning the darkness of night
with the unrestrainable joy of the Eternal.
I am here, blazing across the Heavens
kindling a fire that will burn deep
--deep and restless
in your heart.
I am here to awaken, encourage
and disturb you,
I am here to guide you to the Holy One
who awaits you.
I am the pounding heartbeats
of the three who followed the song of the star,
the heartbeats of trembling anticipation,
the heartbeats of eager lovers
searching for their beloved
The heartbeats of these
who question their own sanity
yet fling reason aside
and follow the song of the star.
I am the silence,
the silence of adoration,
as knees bend
as heads bow
as shy offerings are put aside
--and hands hang useless and empty.
I am the silence
where longing embraces longing
and love, startled by love
is consumed
is freed
is silent
and only the song of the star remains.
See you in church,
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