The Epiphany of our Lord is the wonderful church festival observed on January 6^th. It is the oldest of the Christmas festivals and originally the most important. It is also where we get the song: "The 12 Days of Christmas." Epiphany is also a season that lasts until the beginning of Lent and encompasses four to nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter.

The word "epiphany" comes from the Greek noun epiphaneia, which means "manifestation." In the ancient Greco-Roman world, an epiphany referred to the appearance of one of the gods to mortals. Since kings and emperors were considered by many to be divine, an epiphany could also describe the visit of a king. The Epiphany of our Lord is the Christian festival that celebrates the many ways that Jesus Christ manifested Himself to the world as God Incarnate (God in human flesh) and King of kings.

The Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord originally commemorated three incidents that manifested the mission and divinity of Christ: the visit of the Magi (see Matthew 2:1-12), the baptism of Jesus (see Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle at Cana (see John 2:1-11). Today, most churches emphasize the visit of the Magi on January 6^th and celebrate Christ's baptism on the first Sunday after the 6^th.

White, the color of purity, holiness, and joy is the traditional color for Epiphany, the first Sunday after the Epiphany (the Baptism of our Lord), and the last Sunday after the Epiphany (the Transfiguration of our Lord). For the other Sundays of the season, green is used. Green represents the new life that Christ gives us in baptism, as well as the spiritual growth we experience during the season as we study the Lord's ministry of teaching, healing, and miracles. 

Epiphany is one of the most important festivals of the church year because it shows how God comes to His people. We are so full of sin and deserving of divine punishment that we cannot hope to approach God. Knowing that we cannot come to Him, God took the initiative and came to us by becoming one of us. The most holy and almighty God condescended to take on human flesh in order to reveal His salvation to the world. This is the mystery of the Epiphany of our Lord.

During this season, Christians meditate on many of our Lord's epiphanies. Epiphany Day itself commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem to worship the Messiah and bring Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These wise men are considered to be representatives of all the peoples of the earth. By means of a miraculous star, God showed them that Jesus was born to be not only the King of the Jews, but the Lord and Savior of all nations. Epiphany is often called "The Gentile Christmas."

The first Sunday after the Epiphany is the Festival of the Baptism of our Lord, an observance of Jesus' baptism at the hands of John the Baptist. We close the season of Epiphany with the Transfiguration of our Lord which celebrates Christ revealing his glorious divine nature to Peter, James, and John. In between these two Sundays, the church concentrates on several of the other incidents from Scripture that show how Jesus manifested God's love to the world through His ministry of preaching, miracles, and healings. What is common to each of these epiphanies is that in one way or another they make known the identity and mission of Jesus Christ: True Man and True God, born into this sinful world to be the Lord and Savior of all humanity.

Pastor Michael Zarling