Yesterday was The Epiphany on the Church calendar. The word epiphany is derived from the Greek word epiphaneia, meaning “manifestation” or “appearance”. More specifically it centers around the appearance of Jesus to the magi. They were the first Gentiles to see the face of God.
It is significant that on the same day we had another epiphany. The manifestation of the ugly mob, incensed by the conspiracies of a madman, taking over the Capital building. It was done to “stop the steal”.
In like manner, during the journey of the magi to see Jesus, there was another madman desperately trying to “stop the steal”. Herod perceived that his power was threatened. Paranoid of losing his power he attempted to persuade the magi to give up the location of Jesus, in addition to killing all the babies in the region. Herod was “king of the Jews”. Herod had the power.
The mob in yesterday’s insurrection is part of this same spirit of fear. Their position of power is threatened and they have given in to the temptation of the Satan, all while claiming the name of Jesus.
But Jesus showed us another way. The non-violent, enemy-loving, self-sacrificial way. He stood in the Temple and proclaimed: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners, and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus was surely there in the crowd yesterday, weeping and proclaiming “I forgive you, even though you know not what you do.”
Peace,
Justin
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make MUSIC in the heart
-Howard Thurman
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