What is the Season of Epiphany?
When my family and I moved from the Gulf Coast to Atlanta, we thought we had put the hurricane seasons behind us. However, at the end of October 2020, we learned the hard way that we were wrong. Hurricane Zeta formed in the Caribbean and ripped through Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, along with many other states. The giant oak and pine trees in Atlanta did not stand a chance. Nearly the whole city lost power.
As soon as the storm passed, a rather strange occurrence happened in the city: silence. Even stranger yet was the absence of the usual evening glow of the city lights. The first night, there was an overcast sky and no moon to offer us any help. The darkness was eerily powerful. After a week in the dark, we were relieved when power was finally restored. The lights came on in the middle of the night. One minute, we were sitting in darkness, and the next, the brilliance of our LED bulbs nearly blinded us. The return of the light flooded out the darkness.
This story makes me think of the lessons and reminders of the Epiphany season. During Advent, as the days grow shorter and the nights longer, we read passages of scripture that remind us of the darkness of sin and our need for the true light of Christ to penetrate that darkness. At Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of that light in the birth of Jesus. With the prophet Isaiah, we say, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined” (Is. 9.2). In the season of Epiphany, the light personally reveals itself to us. That is, Jesus brings to light who He truly is, and in doing so, He illuminates our dark world so that we can see more clearly.
Epiphany comes from two Greek words: epi, meaning “above,” and phanein, which means “to cause to appear” or “to bring to light.” Phanein is often used to describe a person having a sudden insight or revelation. Think of the image of a lightbulb turning on above a person’s head. It describes those “aha” moments when we realize something new or profound. Epiphany is a season of learning new and profound things about Jesus. For example, some of the things we discover about Jesus during Epiphany are that Jesus is the Son of God, He is God’s plan of salvation, He is the fulfillment of the Law and the long-awaited Messiah.
Of all the lessons we will read, three stand out as the most important. No matter what lectionary year we are in, we always read these three stories. We begin the season with the story of the Magi in Matthew 2. On the first Sunday of Epiphany, we then read about the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by His cousin John. At the end of the season, we hear about the transfiguration on the mount. These three stories reveal the truth about the light that has come into the world. A star guides Gentiles to the true King of Kings, a voice identifies Jesus as the beloved Son of God, and a transformation on the mountain reveals that there is more to Jesus than what initially meets the eye. These are Epiphanies!
During Epiphany, like the disciples, we are invited to “come and see” (Jn 1.39). We are encouraged to approach Him in His word, experience Him through worship and prayer, and build our relationship with Him by following where He leads us. This is a time for us to grow in our understanding of the Lord and who He has called us to become. Epiphany is a time to invite Christ’s light to shine in the dark areas of our lives in order to reveal what has been hurting us or holding us back in the darkness.
Epiphany is also a season that encourages us to “Go and tell” (Mk. 16.15). That is, we are to share the light we have received. I love the collect in the Second Sunday of Epiphany:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (emphasis mine)
The light we receive is not meant to be kept to ourselves but shared with the world. This call to share is part of why we celebrate World Mission Sunday during Epiphany. On World Mission Sunday, we are encouraged to take the enlightened good news we have received out into the world to advance the light of Christ so that others may be illumined by Him and His Truth.
My prayer for all of us is that this Epiphany will be a season for us to grow in the light of Christ. May Jesus reveal Himself to us in new, fresh ways. May He reveal His love for you and His plans for your life. Finally, let all of us share the gift we have received with a world that desperately needs the light of Christ.
Fr. Chase