The Lord Our God, The Lord Is One: This Is My Beloved Son
CaringBridge has always been so prompt in sending out their email notification of my daily journal post within minutes or even seconds of my wee hours posting. But the past two days they have not released the email notification for more than twelve hours. I have no idea why unless their traffic volume is overwhelming. However, CB does not belong to me and I do not control that release. I do hope anyone who relies on the early morning email notification from CaringBridge is not inconvenienced.
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The Twelve Days of Christmas concluded and starting a new season of either (depending on the church denomination) “after Epiphany” (ours) or “Ordinary Time” (pretty much everybody else), Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 each year. In the Western Church of which we are a part the Gospel for the day is the story of The Coming of the Magi at Matthew 2:1-12. In ordinary life an epiphany may be any realization, like a light bulb coming on in one’s head as we suddenly "get it." More theologically, an epiphany is a revelation as in light coming down from heaven: the Magi story with the Star of Bethlehem shining down from above to spotlight the Christ Child is classic epiphany.
We call the Sunday that follows “The First Sunday after the Epiphany” and we always read one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism, the epiphanic event there of course being the heavens opening and a voice from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son ... .” (Mark 1:9-11).
The Epiphany season goes along then until Ash Wednesday, varying in length from year to year because Ash Wednesday is forty days before Easter Day, which varies from year to year. Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or after March 21. It cannot occur before March 22 or after April 25 (BCP p.15). So the number of Sundays after the Epiphany is different each year and each Sunday something happens in the Bible readings further to reveal who Jesus is and what he is about.
Regardless though, on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany we always read one of the Gospel stories of Jesus going up the sacred mountain with Peter, James and John. There, Jesus is transfigured in brilliant white and stands with Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets), a cloud passes over, and the grand epiphany occurs with the voice from above again, “This is my beloved Son ...” Because in Year A we read mostly from Matthew, the grand epiphany story this year comes from Matthew 17:1-9.
On this Sunday also, the other readings complement the Gospel. Exodus 24:12-18 is about Moses going up on the mountain and encountering the Lord in a cloud. The listener is meant to perceive (epiphany!) the similarity of Jesus and Moses. And 2 Peter 1:16-21 is the beautifully lyrical testimony attributed to St. Peter:
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (KJV)
The hymnal also cooperates with powerful, moving hymns for us to sing magnifying the day and glorifying God in the Bible readings. Some of those hymns are among my lifelong favorites, and I hope that we may sing one or more of them at Holy Nativity tomorrow morning on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany! See you there! Sing loud!
Shema Yisrael Adonai Elehenu Adonai Echod.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
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Photo: NASA, Hubble telescope, view of the heavens