Epiphany Sunday is January 2. Epiphany means manifestation of a divine being; in our case it is of God-in-Christ to the Gentile/non-Jewish world. The actual day of Epiphany is January 6–the "twelfth day of Christmas"–but on Epiphany Sunday we will remember that non-Jewish magi, or astrologers, came some distance to pay homage to this new king born among simple people. Homage meant more than lip-service; it involved gift-giving, in this case gold, frankincense and myrrh. We don't know what Mary and Joseph did with these expensive gifts, but I can imagine given their spartan situation, they were well used.
Your church office will be open December 31 from 9 a.m.-noon for those who will bear gifts for the Christ through our church. They will bring checks, credit/debit cards and mutual fund distributions that they can give tax deductible. All of this strengthens our witness to a non-Christian world. The latest Pew study reports that 29% of Americans have no interest in affiliation with organized religion. The pandemic has compounded that lagging interest. Opportunity abounds for us to witness that this one is different, this one makes a difference, that what the angels sing is true, "Glory to the newborn king!"
Peace and joy be yours,
