Epiphany - Seeing the Glory

January 6 is the beginning of Epiphany - the Christmas lights can come down for another year. For Christians, however, that doesn’t mean the brightness has disappeared. Christmas leads to “Epiphany,” a time of reflection on God’s revelation of Christ to Israel, the disciples, and the world.

So what’s Epiphany? The dictionary definition is "a sudden realization--a flash of recognition in which someone or something is seen in a new light." That's one possible approach, though highly personal and subjective. In Christian thought, we aren’t simply marking an epiphany, something limited to ourselves and our experience, but the epiphany, the revealing of God’s salvation in the world.

We do this for good Biblical reasons too. Paul uses the Greek form of the word “epiphany” in Titus 2 when he describes the coming of Christ into the world at his birth and the return of Christ at the end of history.

He writes, “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, teaching us to deny ungodliness and world desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us…” Those two uses of “appear'/appearing” are “epiphany”- the revelation of God’s glory in Christ, first in the incarnation and at the last in the second coming.

To mark how God’s glory is revealed in Christ, the Church has generally noted three beautiful events in the Gospels: the visit of the Magi Matthew 2), the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan (Matthew 3), and Christ’s miracle of water becoming wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2). Let’s especially reflect on the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem today.

What We Learn from the Magi

Epiphany is a celebration of God making his salvation known to the whole world. The Magi's visit was both a partial fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and all the prophets that all the families of the earth were part of God’s redeeming plan, and a dramatic prophecy of what history will look like at the end: "All nations will come and worship."

Epiphany isn't about our capacity to 'perceive' God without his aid but a confession of his grace that opens our eyes to the reality of Christ. The Magi saw and worshipped; Herod saw and was enraged. What is our response to the vision - the epiphany - of God's saving rule in Christ? Adoration or Anger?

Infinitely more valuable than the treasures they brought to him in worship, the Magi returned home with the far greater riches of seeing Christ. The Magi saw the Star and then the Savior and went home “a different way.” Authentic worship in spirit and truth leads us to behold the glory of the Lord, and that’s what creates in us true and lasting transformation. “Come, let us worship and bow down and kneel before the Lord, our maker."

We Still Need to Behold the Glory

We still need the Spirit of revelation to open the eyes of our hearts to see Christ and see ourselves in union with him. For this, Paul prayed (Eph 1), and may the Spirit so work upon our cataract-encrusted hearts today. 

The water saw its Maker and blushed, becoming wine. The disciples “saw his glory” and followed him.

The Jordan was parted by the feet of the Creator, and the heavens split open as the Spirit rested on the Son, and the Father’s voice from on high was heard in a world that existed by his “Let there be,” beginning its new creation cleansing. 

To experience the appearing, the epiphany, is to be transformed in our life’s direction, bear witness to Christ’s glory, and partake of the Triune mystery. 

“And they beheld his glory.”

We have. We will. 

“The earth sees and trembles…all peoples see his glory.” - Ps 97