In the first lesson for the Feast of Epiphany the
prophet proclaims, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory
of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1
NRSV). For those in the Northern hemisphere who must rise out of
their beds in the early hours of the morning it may be difficult to affirm this
insight. Yet, if we are observant, we notice that it is lighter earlier
this week than last week, and that next week the sun will rise
earlier.
For many the fussiness of Christmas is over, except for packing and storing Christmas decorations, the thank you notes for soon to be forgotten gifts that parents ask their children to write to distant relatives, and paying the bills that will arrive in January. Yet, before we return to the humdrum of our ordinary lives, we are called to stop and behold the child.
The light has come.
Like the wise rulers we behold the infant and return to our worlds by a different route, intrigued and perplexed by our experience of beholding the divine in human flesh. However we soon realize that today does not look any different than yesterday, or a thousand yesterdays. Torture, hunger, climate change, domestic violence, human trafficking, continue. Yet, we can not help but affirm the prophet's proclamation:
The light has come.
Perhaps it is because the incarnation reminds us that we are not alone. The struggle for justice and peace is a difficult one. But we are not alone.
Dorothy Sayers wrote:
For many the fussiness of Christmas is over, except for packing and storing Christmas decorations, the thank you notes for soon to be forgotten gifts that parents ask their children to write to distant relatives, and paying the bills that will arrive in January. Yet, before we return to the humdrum of our ordinary lives, we are called to stop and behold the child.
The light has come.
Like the wise rulers we behold the infant and return to our worlds by a different route, intrigued and perplexed by our experience of beholding the divine in human flesh. However we soon realize that today does not look any different than yesterday, or a thousand yesterdays. Torture, hunger, climate change, domestic violence, human trafficking, continue. Yet, we can not help but affirm the prophet's proclamation:
The light has come.
Perhaps it is because the incarnation reminds us that we are not alone. The struggle for justice and peace is a difficult one. But we are not alone.
Dorothy Sayers wrote:
