Epiphany – The Manifestation of the Lord

Epiphany – The Manifestation of the Lord

My word of the day is EPIPHANY. Yesterday, January 6th (the day after the 12th day of Christmas), was actually Epiphany – which commemorates the revealing of Jesus as Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi and the baptism of Jesus. But today is when the Church celebrates it.

I was watching the Chip and Joanna Gaines’ “Fixer Upper” show a few days ago and in it, Joanna said, “I had an EPIPHANY and we need to…..” Chip said, “An EPIPHANY – what’s an EPIPHANY?” Jo said “I had a bright idea.” And she was right. EPIPHANY also means “a moment of sudden insight or understanding.

So EPIPHANY is the magi’s “EPIPHANY” and I pray, it is our EPIPHANY (sudden insight and understanding) of WHO this Christ Child was and is to us today.

I love those words we see posted: “Wise men (and women) still seek Him.” It is an EPIPHANY when one soul seeks Him and finds Him. And when we find Him, we find more than we ever imagined. For in Jesus Christ, we find forgiveness, inward peace and joy, today, and the promises of life eternal tomorrow.

The Magi found Him as a young child with Mary His mother. By the way, they didn’t show up at the manger scene as all of our nativity sets display – though it sure adds to the beauty of our sets. (See the ceramic one below that my sweet mother-in-law recently passed on to me that she painted many years ago.) It took those magi almost two years to find “the child”, but they didn’t give up. They were persistent and unwavering and so should we be. When we find him today – He is the living Christ, clothed with glory and honor and seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven. He is there because He finished the work He came to do on earth.

Of His coming, the Bible says, “He was made in the likeness of men: and… He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:7-11). That certainly removes that little innocent, dependent, baby in the manger vision to one that describes our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

It is so true that wise men AND women still seek Him and it is so wonderfully true that He still seeks us. We hear a lot of talk about men searching for God and finding God. But first, and foremost, our search is very much related to the fact that God first sought us. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "...the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." And, shortly before His death, Jesus told his closest followers, during the Last Supper, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide..." (John 15:16). To me the most important truth in Christianity is that God loves us enough to seek us out even before we start trying to find Him -- whoever we may be.

May the EPIPHANY of our Lord be revealed to you today. The Babe of Bethlehem, Who is now our King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites you to come into His royal family today. He’s at your heart’s door, knocking, and asking if you would welcome Him in. All we have to do is open the door, receive and take this priceless gift. Once we do, like those VERY wise men, we won't be able to help ourselves -- we will want to worship with everything we are and everything we have.

Come into my heart. Come into my heart. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

God Showed Up

As we get closer and closer to Christmas Eve, I think about the most remarkable moment when God showed up on this earth as a precious, perfect little baby boy -- who just "laid in a manger". Hmm. I don't think I ever saw him crying and Mary needing to hold him to soothe him. How perfect that little man was.

That "picture" is vivid for us -- after all, we've witnessed it in movies, nativity sets, dramatic productions and heard detailed stories and songs about the "Sweet little Jesus boy. They made you be born in a manger. Sweet little holy child. We didn't know who you were." That cold, dark night is conveyed as sweet and mild with angels looking down and the earth standing still to welcome the King. But in reality, Mary, nine months pregnant and Joseph had toiled to make their way for miles and miles for many days to arrive at the lowliest place possible – the place where the animals bedded down and were fed. Today, we are advised to stay close to home -- "no traveling after 7 months -- even in an airplane or car".

Can you imagine that Joseph – he who was not even the birth father of this baby -- more than likely, was the mid-wife for Mary? Can you imagine the weight on his shoulders? Can you imagine the thoughts of Mary – from the announcement by the angel that she was favored and would give birth to the Son of God, would lead to this place and in these circumstances? Mary was a woman who experienced the pains of birth. There were no epidurals back then -- no monitors that kept track of the baby's heartbeat. There were no incubators in that cave. The Son of God wasn’t placed in a sterile, comfortable cradle. He was placed in the animals' feed trough. And, to Mary, her newborn baby probably looked like anything but a king. His face was probably prunish and red just like every other newborn baby. His cry was as shrill and helpless as our newborn babies are. And He was absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being. Can you imagine the weight of being responsible for raising a king – never mind, the Son of God?

That night, as extraordinary as it was with shepherds being startled and amazed by the host of angels that announced a king was born, it was still an ordinary birth. And for the next thirty-three years Jesus would feel everything you and I have ever felt. Weak, weary, hungry, thirsty, and broken-hearted. His feelings got hurt. His back and feet ached from the uneven and rocky roads he would travel. He suffered heat exhaustion in those dry, desert places. He felt alone when his so-called friends abandoned Him. He was misunderstood and his best intentions were ridiculed. He eventually died a death of thieves and murderers with very few of His followers standing by Him.

To think of Jesus in such a light seems almost irreverent. There’s something about keeping Him divine that keeps Him distant and predictable. BUT DON"T DO IT! For heaven’s sake, DON'T! It was a Master Plan for Him to be human so that you and I have someone who gets us -- who gets our needs -- who understands our pains -- who SHOWS UP for us when we need Him most. Let Him be as human as He intended to be. Let His human example of loving in spite of pain, refusing to sin in spite of temptation, forgiving in spite of rejection -- be our example to others, too. Let Him into the mire and muck of our world. That's how He showed up and that's how He "finished up". Only if we let Him in -- can He pull us out! Let Him be God with us for in letting Him be God with us -- we are never alone and never without a Savior. Let Him SHOW UP in you and your world today!.

Every Place We Live Can Be Bethlehem

 My post today was inspired by a dear friend and wonderful encourager, Carolyn Cline Boyle. She is radiant, joy-filled and exudes the love of Christ every time I see her. She is also one of my followers on Facebook. Her comments after my post, yesterday, were especially meaningful to me. My post was entitled "Mary, Did You Know?" This was Carolyn's comment to that post:

"Every morning your words bring me back to the meaning of this beautiful season. Life is moving so quickly, the world is so full of conflict and struggle and I need to realign my reason for being, when all this is swirling around. We have a manger scene in almost every room and I am going to take a deep breath and take time at each one with a special prayer each day. I am so blessed to have this world of faith “cocooning” me and I am so blessed to read your words, dear Donna!"

I shared those words with you not to impress you, but to impress upon you what I heard. Carolyn said she was going to take a deep breath at her manger scenes and offer a special prayer. I, too, have many nativity/manger scenes that I strategically place in my living, dining and kitchen area, but I moved them about my home to the bedrooms, office and even my bathrooms after I read her comments. I want my own journey to Bethlehem and the manger to inspire me and my visitors in every room.

When my now 16-year old granddaughter, was about 4 years old, she loved playing with all the characters in my larger nativity set. One day she started to play and baby Jesus was missing. She went into panic mode "Baby Jesus is gone. Where is Baby Jesus?" she cried. We later realized her big brother (age 5 years old at the time) had hidden baby Jesus from her. It was finally a "Silent Night, Holy Night" when Jesus was returned to His manger.

The Christmas Story is much more than a nativity set. It is a picture of how close Christ will come to us. The first stop on His itinerary was Mary's womb. Christ grew in Mary until He came out. And, Jesus gives us the same offer. "If you'll let Me, I'll move into you." He is IN us and I pray He will come out in our speech, in our actions, in our decisions. Then, not just in the manger scenes, but Bethlehem will be in every place we live, and every day we live will be a Christmas when you and I, like Mary, will deliver Christ to our world.

"Christ in YOU, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Let every heart prepare Him room.