Roo Stewart, Head of Public Issues for the United Reformed Church, reflects on Epiphany.
The 12 days of Christmas feasting have ended. Did you end up with a menagerie of birds, pipers piping, milking maids and gold rings? Me neither. Did you get your Christmas decorations down “in time”? Does it shock you that I have a friend who has her tree up from 1 November and strips it again on Boxing Day? Anathema to the purists!
Epiphany, 6 January, celebrates the appearance or revelation of God to the magi from the East who had been in search of a special king as they had read in the stars. Meeting the Christ child at last, God-in-the-flesh (often portrayed as a happy little baby with smiling eyes on our Christmas cards), was their mind-blowing and life-altering epiphany.
Nowadays, you’ll hear people say “I’ve had an epiphany” as a bit of a joke, when something quite mundane or ordinary suddenly dawns on them. It’s an “a-ha” moment, when a little mystery in life suddenly becomes clear, like why many fuel gauges on car dashboards feature a little arrow pointing left or right.
At the start of a new year, I wonder what “a-ha” moments there will be. What sudden dawning realisation will descend and change our lives for good, even in a small way? For even those small things can open up new worlds of discovery.
I’m praying for revelation for anyone who has “othered” people who are different from them – with prejudicial language and treatment, exclusion and hate. It’s unlikely that an argument or counterprotest will change their mind, but little moments of revelation and surprise might take them on a journey of discovery.
I’m praying for my MP and all our politicians, that they will experience deep communion with their constituents, listening to them and representing them well.
When I’m feeling optimistic, I’ll pray for the CEOs of multinational companies, who seem to prioritise profits for their shareholders rather than sharing the resources of our world fairly with everyone.
When I read the news, I’ll be praying for warmongers and criminals, as well as their victims, because I believe that epiphanies aren’t just for the magi: they are for everyone.
And I’ll be praying for me too:
God, open my eyes to the mundane, to the small things, and even to the divine, and find you smiling back at me. Give me an “a-ha!” moment today and every day so I can grow and learn. May I be forever changed, even a little, so I can be a moment of revelation for those I encounter this year. Amen.
Image: Josep Monter Martinez/Pixabay.