I hope you have had a blessed Christmastide and pray your Epiphany will be one where you have clear knowledge of those epiphany moments that are sent your way by the God who loved you enough to become fully human. During the season of Epiphany we will hear how God revealed God’s self though the life of Jesus the Christ. We hear the story of the attendance of the wedding at Cana and how Jesus allowed those in attendance to know his divine presence when the celebration had run out of wine; he turned the ordinary water into wine and managed to save the reputation of the hosts. We will hear about the three wise men who followed the star to the birth site of the Christ Child and brought gifts and the message not to return to their homeland for fear of impending danger to the baby Jesus. We will hear other revelatory stories as well. Each week we will be asked to contemplate how Christ has been revealed to us in our lives.
It seems an appropriate exercise for us to be consciously aware of the ways in which God is revealed to us. It tells us not only that God is active in our lives, but often helps us to understand how God desires to use us to make God known to others through the life we live.
When we make those age old New Years resolutions we may impress others with our self discipline and ability to stay with what ever resolution we strive to live up to, but when we ask for a New Year revelation we offer ourselves to be vessels of divine blessings that have the potential to impact both us and others.
This year, pray God will reveal the love of Christ to you and that God will use you to make God manifest to others.
God cares about the details and God just wants to love you and to be loved by you. Jesus has no arms or legs or mouth or ears here on earth except yours. We are the Body of Christ; let’s magnify the Lord in our church.
Invite a friend or neighbor to attend worship with you. Share your faith with someone who needs to see your faith. In the words of St. Francis, preach all you can – and if necessary use words. Let God be manifest in and through you in the year of our Lord 2007.
Blessings to you in the new year,
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Dec 2006 Extreme Makeover by Christ