Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
THE GIFTS OF EPIPHANY AND BEYOND
In the house of my youth we had a special Christmas tradition. Twelve gifts were placed in each stocking. On Christmas Day you were allowed to open one gift. On the second day of Christmas, another. On the third day of Christmas, a third. It went on like this for the twelve days of the traditional Christmas season, ending on January 5th.
God has a similar tradition. All through Advent the gift of the Christ Child seems to lay beneath the tree, wrapped up tight. But then finally on Christmas Day we get to celebrate Jesus' birth in full, and open the gift marked "Christ".
But Christmas Day is only the beginning of the gift opening. For in Christ are numerous gifts, at LEAST one for each day of this new year.
Sure, we get to see the Christ Child for the first time in the manger at Christmas, but throughout the rest of the year we get to learn about all the things that He did during His life -- things that He did for us.
During Epiphany and during the rest of the church year we have the opportunity to open the gifts we find inside the greatest gift of all. And we open these gifts whenever we listen to God's word. We open them in church and in our own private devotions. Each chapter in Jesus' life is a gift to us. The account of the boy Jesus lingering at the temple to do his Father's work. The accounts of the young man Jesus, beginning His teaching and preaching in the dusty countryside. The miracles. The healings. The powerful preaching. The suffering. His betrayal. His murder on the rough planks of the cross. His burial. His resurrection. Our hope.
All these are God's gifts to you this Epiphany. Open another one today, and enjoy what Paul called, "the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord".
