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Morning Devotion for the Season of Epiphany

January 29, 2024

Invitatory

Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Reading: from the 1982 Hymnal, What star is this, with beams so bright

What star is this, with beams so bright, more beauteous than the noonday light? It shines to herald forth the King,and Gentiles to his crib to bring.

True spake the prophet from afar who told the rise of Jacob’s star; and eastern sages with amaze upon the wondrous token gaze.

The guiding star above is bright; within them shines a clearer light,

and leads them on with power benign to seek the Giver of the sign.

O Jesus, while the star of grace impels us on to seek thy face, let not our slothful hearts refuse the guidance of thy light to use.

To God the Father, heavenly Light, to Christ, revealed in earthly night, to God the Holy Ghost we raise our equal and unceasing praise.

Meditation: Rebecca Northington

Epiphany is a long season. This year there are six Sundays in Epiphany. It began on January 6th, and will go until Ash Wednesday, on February 14th. It is an exciting season celebrating the birth and baptism of Jesus. Week after week we learn about who this man, this son of God, is. If Christmas is Christ’s birthday, Epiphany is almost like his birthday season, where every day we get to celebrate anew, and marvel in this gift from God: the Messiah, the Savior!

But somehow after the build up of Advent, the hugeness of Christmas, and the gray doldrums of January, it hardly feels like a celebration. Even the section in the hymnal for Epiphany is markedly shorter than one would think the season should demand, as though we got it all out in Advent or Christmas, and we have little left to proclaim. But Epiphany reminds us that everything should be different. He has come. Christ is with us, we are building a new world, with new rules and a new covenant. So why does it still feel like so much work?

It makes me think of a new love affair, with all of the excitement and breathlessness that accompanies it. Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, these moments capture that kind of excitement. Epiphany resembles more of the day to day drudgery of keeping the promise alive. It is still beyond comprehension the gift of this love; but it requires attention, focus, and dare I say it-discipline.

In our “fast food nation”, where we consume quickly, and shallowly, it is difficult to prioritize the core of this season. It is challenging to maintain the awe that Christ’s love for us demands. It is hard to see the star, and be guided by its light. The dark and gray days do not help, nor does the news, or the politics of our times. The general atmosphere is unfavorable to the delight I believe we should all attempt to find during Epiphany, and frankly, all seasons when we are feeling gloomy or sad.

Maybe this season of Epiphany is not accidentally placed during such a dismal time of the year. It is when we are feeling our lowest that we need to be reminded of our good fortune. When I think of the dictionary meaning of epiphany, I think of becoming suddenly aware, and the excitement that comes with that process. Perhaps instead of waiting for a season to pull us into its magic, we need to seek the magic of the season and remember that God is with us.

Every day is getting longer, the sun will come out again, the flowers will bloom, the grass will turn green and dry; and God is with us. God is in it for the long haul with us, and perhaps we need to become more aware of the value of God’s steadfast, forgiving and unconditional love, as shown through Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. If we can do that every day, if we can see and be guided by the metaphorical star; then, I believe every day we can be startled by Epiphany!

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.