Shedding Some Light

 Here they come!  It’s Epiphany and now the three wise men may enter the scene.  But do they come to the stable?  Notice, the stable is empty…where did Jesus go?!?!  Well, by the time the wise men visited Jesus, he and his parents had moved on and he was perhaps around the age of two (but I am no authority on the subject, he just wasn’t a baby anymore).   The wise men followed a God-given star to find and visit the Messiah and to give him gifts.  The theme continues to be light.  Epiphany has to do with disclosing, unveiling, to bring to light...in other words, shedding some light on the subject.   So, just as Advent/Christmas was the season we remembered Jesus coming as a baby, the season of Epiphany is when we remember the coming of the wise men and are taken into Jesus’ adult ministry with His baptism and first miracle.  Each of these stories is a part of Epiphany because it reveals Jesus’ true identity.  He is the Light in the darkness and isn't overcome by it.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I write so much on these “little” Christian holidays that you may not even hear about in your own church – and certainly not in the Hallmark card isle.  Well, we are told to dwell in God’s Word, the Bible, God’s story.  We are to “rehearse” it, go over it again and again.  In so doing we start seeing new things about it, going deeper, having epiphanies about who Jesus was, who He is and who He hopes to be in our lives.  Without this rehearsing and repetition, we are likely to forget!  Then we drift into our own understanding and misunderstandings of the world.  And the Light we are to reflect from Christ to the world dims.  I often feel dim.  So I go back to the Word and fan the flame to be more like it – a truer representation of God, my Father, my source, my guide.

Our Epiphany centerpiece

Yesterday I moved our Advent wreath off the table.  Today, I replaced it with an arrangement for Epiphany:

Candles – representing the light Jesus brought to the world

Three candles – representing the three gifts the wise men brought to Jesus.

Star shaped seed pods – representing the star that guided the wise men to visit Jesus.

Seed pod – These were on our Advent wreath too. They still represent God’s posture of love as He sends His only Son to earth to show us the extent of His love for us.  It is also the posture we can have to God, welcoming Him into our lives. 

A mirror – representing the way we are to be light to the world, reflecting Jesus’ light. (yes, this is a mirror from an L.L. Bean travel bag…you go with what you have!)

Tapestry – representing the wealth of the wise men and the Kingship of Christ (I wanted to find something purple, but ended up with white)

Why do I try to rehearse these things with my kids even though they are only 3 and 1 years old?  Because we are told to by God.  “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).   Now it’s true, this passage is referring specifically to the laws God gave his people, the Jews, but Jesus came to complete or fulfill the Law (see Matthew 5:17).  So now we look to what Jesus did and said by walking through the Christian year so we can remember it and align our lives to carry on the light Jesus revealed.  We talk about it in the common things like sitting down to a meal together and snuggling on the couch to read a story and look at pictures.  Then, out of that come questions as we walk down the street or get strapped into the truck for a drive to town.  These are all normal times that become special because of the Light that Jesus shines in when we invite and welcome Him in our everyday lives.  Today, by setting aside a few minutes to read a story (we’re talking “toddler minutes” here…nothing elaborate!) and making a simple centerpiece for the table we eat on, we provide opportunity for learning, questions and dialogue about things that are important to us.

Plus, through explaining what we believe to children, we gain a better understanding ourselves.  Kids ask straight questions about what they see and hear so that they can make honest sense of their world.  Sometimes, we lose that in adulthood.  It’s challenging, but rewarding (and sometimes embarrassing or humorous) to answer children’s questions, but often it is also participating in epiphany – shedding light on the subject for young and old alike.  Today’s questions included:

Why was Herod mean?

Why can Jesus turn water into wine?

What is a Christian?

Am I a Christian?

I am reminded of what so many missionary moms have told me:  “Your kids are your first mission field.”  Even though we have uprooted and moved to another continent to share God’s love, preach the Gospel and nourish the believers here, our children are those who are watching our every move and listening to our every word, learning about Christ through us much more than anyone on our street or in Jonathan’s classes is.  That is the humbling intensity of a parent’s job and a reflector of Christ.