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Epiphany
 
The Feast of the Epiphany is Jan. 6. The Epiphany season runs from Jan. 6 until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The liturgical color is white, until after the First Sunday of the Epiphany, when it becomes green.
 
Epiphany means “revealing” or “showing forth.” The Epiphany season begins with the showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles, specifically to the Wise Men of Matthew’s Gospel, who are the first to know of His divinity. Epiphany proclaims Jesus as Savior of the whole world and prepares for the proclamation that the church is the new people of God, with God’s promise of salvation now applying to all the peoples of the earth.
 
There is only one thing about this story (especially regarding the Wise Men) that we can hold with any certainty. Whoever they were and from wherever they came, they were henceforth called “wise.” Their wisdom was not necessarily the precondition of their visitation, but it was certainly the one gift they took with them after their visit to the stable. Wisdom is not the prerequisite to relationship with Jesus, but the product of knowing the Lord. Those who encounter God come away with more and better than what they bring. Is this not always the case in every good relationship?
 
If we ever come to know wisdom in our own relationships with one another, are we not always wiser on the way home, as were the Wise Men?
The Rev. Richard "Dick" H. Elwood
Pastoral Associate
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