Epiphany

Center City Church,

In the Christian Church calendar, today is Epiphany (I’m sure all of you had this in your personal calendars and have been counting down the days since last January 6th). As I was typing these words my wife Chelsi just asked what I was writing. When I said, “I’m writing an email to the church for Epiphany,” she said, “Excuse me, what?”

So what is Epiphany?

Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of Jesus to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem, He is revealed to the Magi (wise men) who have come from the East to adore Him.

Jesus is still able to be found today. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “…seek and you will find…” (Mt. 7:7). I believe that. Advent reminded us that God became flesh in Jesus. But belief that Jesus existed isn’t the same as worshiping him now as Lord.

May we seek and ever find Jesus in this new year. And once found, may we give him the proper place as Lord in our hearts, lives, homes, cities, and world.

Below is an excerpt from Brian Zahnd about Epiphany…

“If you think finding Christ means nothing more than adding him to your life—(as one would add an insurance policy with death benefits to their life)—you haven’t yet had the real Epiphany, the Epiphany the old magi speaks of. Christ is not something that will nicely accommodate your cherished assumptions. Christ is the most radical thing that has ever happened to this world. To see Christ as Christ, the King of the Jews who is now King of the World—Is to realize that Caesar is not Lord, Pharaoh is not Lord, but Jesus is Lord. Jesus cannot be owned or incorporated or subsumed into any other nation—Not Babylon, not Egypt, not Rome, not Russia, not England, not America. Jesus is building his own nation (kingdom) — it’s the Kingdom of God. Christ does not come to endorse any nation — he comes to set up his own.” (Brian Zahnd)

-Pastor Joseph