30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.32They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:30-33 (NIV)
Those dusty-footed travelers, who invited Jesus to break bread with them, had an epiphany.
Isn't epiphany such a beautiful word? Even the meanings of this English word seem ... transcendent!Here is one meaning:
an "ah-ha moment" - - a moment when you suddenly realize something that perhaps should have been obvious. That's Gena's definition. Let's see what Merriam-Webster say:
(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something
(2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking
(3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
Not bad, Gena-girl. But, the M-W definition above is only the third definition in the sequence, and the one most commonly applied in everyday life. The first-listed definition is the one most pertinent to January 6th. Here it is:
capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ
As a lifelong Baptist girl, I've known for some time that my denomination "has no truck with" high-church festivals, per se, particularly in my part of the rural South. The first mention I ever heard of Lent, I thought the northerner talking about it was inexplicably referring to that stuff from the clothes dryer. And, don't even get me started on Ash Wednesday. My intro to that was a traumatizing experience, occurring when I went to live in Illinois for a brief stint! (That sojourn did not last long as my Southern accent never ceased to be a curiosity up there. But, I digress....)
I learned with amazement in bible college that the wise men did not come to the stable at Jesus' birth, but more than likely came to pay homage to Jesus when He was a toddler. This means that beautiful Nativity scene I made 40 years ago in my Ma's basement ceramic shop has been set up wrong every year since I've had it.
This season, during the 12 Days of Christmas, thanks to Tersi and Jennifer and some of my other friends, I think I've had an epiphany about Epiphany!
The whole King Cake phenomenon - - - I thought that had something to do with Mardi Gras. But, I wasn't sure what, and I sure didn't know why they put a little plastic baby in the dang cake!
So, for you other fellow low-church folks (that's those who don't have high-church traditions or celebrations in your denomination) let me share with you what I've learned about Epiphany.
You know that song, The Twelve Days of Christmas? Horrible song! Regardless, it has a role in all this too.
The "twelve days of Christmas" extend the celebration which begins on Christmas Day all the way to January 6th. December 25th is "the first day of Christmas", naturally, which means Day 12 is January 5th. The next day, January 6th is designated Epiphany, which commemorates the day the Wise Men met Jesus (although it wasn't 12 days after He was born, but rather a year or two later). Lots of folks keep their Christmas decorations up until Epiphany. The kings come and go .... and then so do the decorations. (Mine are coming down this afternoon!)
January 6th is also the official first day of Mardi Gras season. And, here comes the King Cake. It is baked to celebrate Epiphany (KING Cake, get it?), AND the baker bakes a tiny plastic baby into the cake. Whomever finds the baby in his/her piece of cake gets the place of honor at the Mardi Gras kick-off party (and also is supposed to host the party the next year).
It's beginning to look like these other denominations have a good bit more partying than do we Baptists; but again, I digress.
Moving on ... Mardi Gras culminates in a distinctly unbiblical day known as Fat Tuesday. It is on this day all the Mardi Gras parades are at their height of revelry, because the next day is Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance (in sackcloth and ashes, theoretically, although ashes are marked on the forehead of each supplicant, often in the shape of the cross, without a sackcloth component present). Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season that leads up to and through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and then culminates (most appropriately) in Easter.
I know. I know. You want to know what to do with your Nativity Set. Well, the most "correct" of them have the newborn Jesus separate from the manger. That way, you can set up the set (without kings and their entourages) AND without baby Jesus in the manger. He gets put there either on Christmas Eve overnight, or on Christmas Day. Then, some (like my friend Tersi) move the wise men figures increasingly closer to the stable and the other figures over the 12 days of Christmas, letting them "arrive" at the destination on January 6th! How about that! Cool, huh? Tersi also bakes special foods from her native Cuba in celebration of Epiphany.
The gospel writer, Matthew, is the only one who records the visit of the "wise men", in the second chapter of his gospel account. Below are three of those verses, and much speculation has arisen to surround these wise men and their visit. How many of them, for example? The scriptures do not say. Three is an assumed number, because of the number of gifts. But, can we be sure? No.
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:9-11 (NIV)
So, there you have it. While I don't celebrate all that, I have gained a greater appreciation of the 'epiphany' the wise men must have experienced when they first met the very young Jesus. Through the Spirit of God who had guided them, "their eyes were opened and they recognized Him". They reverently presented Him valuable gifts and then bowed down and worshipped Him.
May we also, though not just today. May we present Immanuel, our God who put on flesh to dwell among us, the gift of our lives and worship Him forever!
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