The above
poem by Malcolm Guite is a beautiful reflection on Epiphany. During January and
February this year, we walk through the Sundays of Epiphany, an “Ordinary Time”
in the language of our sister denominations. In the cold and gray days of
winter, slogging through slush, slipping on ice, shoveling snow, and trying to
stay warm, we may lose sight of the wonder of the Epiphany as we await the
beginning of Lent in early March.
But as the
poem reminds us, the story of the Epiphany might have been someone else’s
story, except that it was not. No, this time, we were the chosen people, the
ones destined to receive a new king. Although born in a filthy stable, a
glorious incarnation is found in Jesus.
And we
make pilgrimage together to seek the Lord where He may be found.
We don’t
have actual video of the Magi arriving at the stable, but have you ever
wondered what that moment must have looked like? Don’t you think at least one
of these “kings” from the east would have asked, “Are we in the right place?”
Do we think for a moment that they expected such a humble and smelly place in
which to find a newborn King?
I believe
that the experience of the Magi challenges us to seek the Lord in the
surprising places, in the people we least expect to reflect the light of
Christ, in the face of the stranger and the outcast, and yes, even in the life
of the person next to you!
For the
next couple of months, green vestments signify an ordinary time in the church
year.
But is
there really anything “ordinary” about Epiphany?
Pastor
Bill Barter
