941 The Alameda Berkeley, CA 94707EPIPHANEIA: HARBINGER OF INCLUSIVENESS
Epiphany is one of the oldest festivals in the Christian tradition. It dates back to the latter half of the 2nd century. Clement of Alexandria, one of the earliest Christian writers, referred to the fundamental importance of celebrating Epiphany on the 6th of January.
As early Christianity developed and spread beyond Judaism, Epiphany became one of the three most important celebrations in Christian polity. These three became central to the Christian expression – Christmas, Easter, and Epiphany. At Christmas, people celebrated the birth of Jesus. During Easter, people rehearsed the death and resurrection of Jesus. On January 6th, Epiphany, Christians remembered the story of the three wise men.
This poses a puzzle. Why would the visit of three foreigners be elevated in importance to the birth and resurrection of Jesus? And why would today’s Christian culture so thoroughly ignore them? It is understandable that Christianity, centered on the person of Jesus, would remember birth, death and resurrection. Why throw three strangers into the mix? And what, in today’s Christian culture, is the advantage in forgetting them?
Epiphany is from the Greek word Epiphaneia, which means manifestation. It refers to the moment when something first manifests. It is somewhat like an '‘a-ha!’' moment, a '‘light bulb’' experience, like the person in a cartoon who realizes something for the first time – the artist draws a light bulb over the head. An epiphany is a moment of realization when we are enthralled for the first time with what something really means.
Epiphany is about FIRSTS. Liturgically, the season of Epiphany traces firsts through the gospels – Jesus’ baptism when God’s endorsement makes the first claim of Divine kinship, the first miracle in Cana of Galilee, the first transfiguration. Significantly, the season opens on January 6th by recognizing the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, the first recognition that Jesus (the whole message and meaning of his life) is INCLUSIVE.
This inclusive embrace, so critical to the early witness, was not a conversion of others to the Christian way of thinking. These were Magi. They were priests from a foreign religion who, in the context and integrity of their own faith, saw the relevance of the birth of Jesus. They came and gave their homage, and then went back home.
Any contemporary Christian culture that wants to be exclusive must downplay Epiphany. Such has been successful in the American culture. By wedding Christmas with the materialism of a capitalistic society, Christians can huddle in their candle-lit services and never wonder what’s beyond the stained glass windows. The wise men have become incidental parts in Christmas pageants and moved to minor figurines in nativity scenes. In today’s world, the season of Epiphany means boxing up Christmas decorations, taking advantage of after-Christmas discounts, and getting life back to normal.
Jesus did not come to establish a new religion. Christianity as a separate religion developed much later. Jesus came to show a WAY of being spiritual in the context of an existing religion, in his case, Judaism. The Magi attest to the claim that this WAY is universal, indigenous within the heart of each and every soul upon the earth. The season of Epiphany (from January 6th to Ash Wednesday) invites us to open our hearts to what is different – not to convert, but to embrace.
The wise men still come. They come quietly in the night. They pass under our street lamps and fade into the darkness. And perhaps a few of our children, bored with the festivities inside, stand on the street corners and wave as they pass. O, that we may see what our children see!
- Ron Sebring