Dear One and All,
We are now ‘In the deep mid-winter’ and all the noise ‘from the men of strife’ is now over and there is just a chance of ‘a silent night’ which is ‘joy to the world’. The celebration of Christmas is now put behind us and the season of Epiphany is upon us. Before too long we’ll start thinking about Ash Wednesday and the coming of Lent. I will also start thinking about clocks going forward, the arrival of Spring and the end of Winter.
But first Epiphany Matthew’s Gospel tells us of the arrival of the Magi, wisemen, philosopher kings, men from the mystical east who had come to find the one told of in Micah and who they believed was the new star rising in Israel. The church elaborates on the biblical narrative and grants them names, Gaspar, Balthassar and Melchior who bring their treasured gifts; gold, a kingly gift, frankincense for purification and myrrh which was associated with death, but which is now used for its medicinal properties.
Epiphany may also be used when talking about that sudden moment of realisation, when something becomes clear, when understanding is reached and a fresh conclusion drawn. Every now and again I suspect we all have had moments of clarity when something is made abundantly clear. We have experienced an epiphany and like gold, it’s precious. Paul tells us ‘we see but through a glass darkly’ an epiphany illuminates the darkness and we know the truth.
For those whose academic grounding is in the field of practical theology, a saying attributed to Anselm, ‘faith seeking understanding’ is akin to a continual and growing sense of epiphanies. If it is so in an academic and intellectual sense then how much more must it be in finding that God has continual surprises for us all. The Jesuit priest Gerrard Hughes wrote ‘God of Surprises’ which is still worth reading and facing its challenge to find God in the surprises of the everyday.
I have felt occasionally that Christians see the surprising ministry of Christ and the Holy Spirit as being fixed in time, glued to the pages of the New Testament. We inhabit the age of the Spirit where God continues to expand the story of faith, the message of Christ for our age and that wonder shared by John Wesley, that ‘the best
is yet to come’. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate Epiphany may our eyes, our hearts and minds once again know the gift of Christ and the pure Gold God has in store for those who embark on the Christian journey.
May 2025 bring you the Peace of God, Christ’s blessings and the joy of the holy Spirit guiding your lives. Every Blessing and a happy new year. Simon