Epiphany!
It is a
feast associated with light, not least because of the rising star that guides the magi
to Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. Our readings this weekend all focus on the
power of light to reveal God’s presence, and on our own role as light to the world – we have a mission
as church to all God’s people. Are you
ready bring God’s love, God’s light
to bear upon the world?
When the Israelites return from exile in Isaiah, they are
abandoning the sense of darkness that came from their (erroneous) belief that
God could not be with them in foreign land; on their way home, they are called
to be a light to the nations, a
beacon through which God will draw all peoples to himself. For God’s reign, as Psalm 72 reminds us, is
universal: it ranges from sea to sea, and from the river to the
ends of the earth. And so all are
called to the light, by the light:
all are, as Paul notes in his letter to the Ephesians, coheirs, members of the same body,
copartners in the promise…
What does salvation for all look like? Start by looking in a metaphorical
mirror: are you radiant? a light to the world? We are called to live salvation so manifestly
that it becomes the universal language spoken by our very existence. This is how God is revealed: when nations
walk by our light, seeing God
revealed in the way we live, our lives a celebration of God’s love for us,
abounding in works of charity, generosity, and mercy. The Feast of the Epiphany calls us to be that light for others, the love we
share, a love pouring from God, through us, to all.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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