Preparing for our Lenten Journeys
As liturgical calendars go, we sit currently within the season of epiphany. The word 'epiphany' literally means "to show" or "to make known." For some faith traditions this is simply one date in time where we celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men. For others it is a period of time between Epiphany Sunday and Ash Wednesday. As with most aspects of the Christian liturgical calendar, Epiphany has theological significance as a teaching tool in the church. The Wise Men or Magi who brought gifts to the child Jesus were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as "King" and so were the first to "show" or "reveal" Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. This act of worship by the Magi, which corresponded to Simeon's blessing that this child Jesus would be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32), was one of the first indications that Jesus came for all people, of all nations, of all races, and that the work of God in the world would not be limited to only a few.
The day is now observed as a time of focusing on the mission of the church in reaching others by "showing" Jesus as the savior of all people. It is also a time of focusing on Christian community and fellowship, especially in healing the divisions of prejudice and bigotry that we all too often create between God's children. How very appropriate that we at First Christian Church celebrate the season of Epiphany through our work and welcome of the community. We recently hosted the Martin Luther King JR. celebrations and for four weeks of Epiphany we gather with the community churches and celebrate Roaming Revivals. We truly live into the Epiphany meaning of making Jesus known through our work and ministries.
In the vein of making Jesus known, the Christian Education Team is working to help enhance our Lenten journeys so that Jesus is made known to us in our commitment to spiritual growth through the season of Lent. This year the Christian Education team will be working together to create a daily Lenten devotional book with, hopefully, your help. We will create a list of suggested scriptural texts based on weekly themes and will be recruiting volunteers to write a short devotional to go with the scripture and theme. As we all travel toward Jerusalem we will share this special journey with one another by sharing our faith journeys with one another.
Please consider this undertaking as part of your efforts "to make known" to others the miraculous ways your walk with Jesus makes your life and faith worth sharing. When a member of the Christian Education Team approaches you with a smile and a text, don't immediately dismiss the project as beyond your capabilities or beyond your time constraints. We each give our time freely to so many projects for work, family, friends, and yes, even our church. The journey to Jerusalem is often full of challenges, but each challenge forces our faith to grow in new and exciting directions. Give this project a chance to encourage growth in you.
Blessings,
Tracy
(Definitions and explanations of the season of Epiphany are the words of Dennis Bratcher and were obtained from the website: http://www.crivoice.org/index.html )