An Epiphany Spirituality

An Epiphany spirituality is all about Christ manifest in us, and Christ manifest through us.

There are two sides to an Epiphany spirituality:
Christ manifest in us, and Christ manifest through us.

Because God's glory has been manifested in Jesus Christ, he calls his disciples and us to manifest his glory by becoming his deeply committed disciples showing forth Christ through our lives. Consequently, for us an Epiphany spirituality is to allow Christ to be manifested in us through prayer and hospitality. May we open our hearts to God's epiphany within and may we reach out to be God's epiphany to the strangers in our midst.

Robert Weber, Ancient-Future Time

Today was the feast of The Epiphany. Also, I’m preaching this Sunday, which is the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. Instead of outlining my sermon here, I thought I would share this quote from the late Dr. Robert Weber.

As I was reading through the scriptures for this Sunday, thinking about the significance of Epiphany and the sacrament of baptism this exact sentiment came to my mind. It’s always affirming when someone smarter writes it down for you.

Epiphany happens to us and then through us!

In our baptism, we go down dirty and come up clean; we go down red or blue, rich or poor, gay or straight, black or white or brown, and we come up radiant, united with Christ in God.

The Epiphany experienced at Christ’s baptism is offered to us in our baptism. We come out of the waters of baptism, regardless of age or any other identifier, and are declared beloved of God, belonging to his kingdom, filled with His Spirit, and united to his body, the church.

There are some theological details to parse out there, of course. But at least one reason Jesus, who had no need to be baptized, was baptized, was so that we, who desperately need the grace of baptism, could participate in this epiphanic love. Christ is made manifest in us through our baptism and we are united to God and neighbor through the covenantal reality of our baptism.

Like Jesus, our Lord and exemplar, on the other side of those baptismal water is the mission of God, guided by the Spirit of God for the sake of the sake of the world.

Christ manifest in us, and Christ manifest through us. Amen!

Happy Epiphany! `