Dearest e-votees-
Blessed Epiphany to you!
Epiphany is the season of the church year where we focus on God being revealed into the world. The word "epiphany" literally means "to shine upon" and has the sense of a revealing light.
This week the lectionary's gospel lesson reveals Jesus as the beloved Son of God full of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the few times in scripture that the entire personhood of the Trinity is discernibly present with the God the Father speaking, God the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and Jesus coming out of the waters of his baptism.
May that same Trinity be discernibly present in your thoughts, prayers and actions this week.
Peace,
Karl
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Blessed Epiphany to you!
Epiphany is the season of the church year where we focus on God being revealed into the world. The word "epiphany" literally means "to shine upon" and has the sense of a revealing light.
This week the lectionary's gospel lesson reveals Jesus as the beloved Son of God full of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the few times in scripture that the entire personhood of the Trinity is discernibly present with the God the Father speaking, God the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and Jesus coming out of the waters of his baptism.
May that same Trinity be discernibly present in your thoughts, prayers and actions this week.
Peace,
Karl
----------
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17, NRSV
John is busy doing his ministry of baptism at the Jordan river. People are coming in response to his crying out in the wilderness. John is doing what he was sent to do and fulfilling prophecies that were spoken about him centuries ago. John is indeed preparing the way for the one who is to come.
Enter the one who was to come. Jesus approaches John. John suddenly becomes hesitant. He realizes that he is in the presence of one much greater than he. He realizes that he must decrease that Jesus might increase (see John 3:30) John, with perhaps the best of intentions, wants to prevent Jesus from doing what he came to do. Jesus presses John into service nonetheless and the baptism happens.
What has called us to do? What people are responding to how we carry ourselves in the world? Are we allowing God to do what God has sent us to do? Are we living into the prophecies and promises that were spoken about us centuries ago? If Jesus were to come up to us in a discernible manner would we welcome him and do as he asks or would we balk and try to run interference?
The deal is that we don't, even when operating with the best of intentions, begin to understand what all God might do through us or to us. God comes into the world so often defying expectations of those earnestly looking for God. Why would we be any different than others who have missed God's intentions before us? Perhaps the best thing we can do is pray that we would be interruptible. God may well be intending a divine intrusion or interruption into our ways in the world this day. God's brightness may well blaze a new understanding into our dark ways of thinking. If we allow ourselves to decrease in order that Jesus may increase we may very well have a discernible epiphany about this Son who is beloved by God and is, indeed, well-pleasing to God.
God, shine your truth into our lives. Let your Holy Spirit alight on our understandings and our ways. Amen.
Enter the one who was to come. Jesus approaches John. John suddenly becomes hesitant. He realizes that he is in the presence of one much greater than he. He realizes that he must decrease that Jesus might increase (see John 3:30) John, with perhaps the best of intentions, wants to prevent Jesus from doing what he came to do. Jesus presses John into service nonetheless and the baptism happens.
What has called us to do? What people are responding to how we carry ourselves in the world? Are we allowing God to do what God has sent us to do? Are we living into the prophecies and promises that were spoken about us centuries ago? If Jesus were to come up to us in a discernible manner would we welcome him and do as he asks or would we balk and try to run interference?
The deal is that we don't, even when operating with the best of intentions, begin to understand what all God might do through us or to us. God comes into the world so often defying expectations of those earnestly looking for God. Why would we be any different than others who have missed God's intentions before us? Perhaps the best thing we can do is pray that we would be interruptible. God may well be intending a divine intrusion or interruption into our ways in the world this day. God's brightness may well blaze a new understanding into our dark ways of thinking. If we allow ourselves to decrease in order that Jesus may increase we may very well have a discernible epiphany about this Son who is beloved by God and is, indeed, well-pleasing to God.
God, shine your truth into our lives. Let your Holy Spirit alight on our understandings and our ways. Amen.
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