I've Had an Epiphany!

I’ve had an epiphany!

And it’s about Epiphany…

People are in an awful big rush to get to Christmas (decorated trees in Target before Halloween!), and people seem in an even bigger hurry to get it over with.

Now, if you’re one of those “in a rush to get it over with” people, please don’t take this the wrong way…just consider it food for thought.

(I’ve always gone against the grain on things, and this is just another example!)

Just like there are seasons in our calendar and seasonal change in nature, there are seasons in the Christian calendar. One of these seasons is Epiphany, and my epiphany about it is that not too many people know what it is, lest they wouldn’t be rushing me to pack up the tree, take down the lights, haul the greenery to the curb & move on!

See, I’ve known all along that I had justification in the Christian calendar for wanting to enjoy it, soak it all in, relish in it…but only now did it occur to me that maybe I was supposed to communicate that to the rest of the world… that it’s OK to still be celebrating Christmas on January the 5th, fully decorated house and all.

Come sit by the manger
Come bathe in the light
Come rest in the Savior
Drink in renewed life

Take a minute, enjoy His birth, unwrap & accept the Gift, snuggle your family, spend some time, just slow down after the pre-December 25th rush…

In fact, that’s exactly what we are supposed to do!

Take time to soak it up, then fill yourself with the light of the newborn King, and share it with all whom you come in contact.

The season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas Day.

Christmas begins with Christmas Day on Dec. 25th, but it lasts for 12 days and ends on January 5th. This period of time is known as the 12 days of Christmas, and is sometimes called Christmastide.

(Ahhh…You gettin’ it now? The 12 days of Christmas...My true love gave to me… Could your true love be Christ? What has He given you? What has come to us because of Him? I challenge you to rethink that song: 3 gifts from Magi, 2 humble parents, and a baptism in the Jordon River!)

Epiphany begins on January 6th and is the celebration of the Star of Bethlehem, the Gifts of the Magi, the childhood of Christ, the baptism of Christ, the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Epiphany lasts from January 6th till the eve of Ash Wednesday, when the season of Lent begins.

So see, Christmas isn’t officially over, at least as far as the Christian calendar goes, until the night of January 5th. (I guess now I really will have to come to grips with the fact that is a done deal until next Advent!)

If your tree is already put away, it’s all good. But if you are like me, and you are just now getting to find the calm and restoration in it, know that you are not alone.
You are completely justified (if you need that sort of thing) in joining me in being THE LAST girl on the block to the take down the tree, unplug the lights, and un-hang the stockings. It is OK to slow down, take time, and go against the grain. And in fact, we should.

I celebrate with you and I encourage you to embrace the manifestation of Christ, to look for your own epiphany in Epiphany, and to carry His light into a world that so desperately needs it.

Question: Are you glad when Christmas is over or are you always sorry to see it end? Why do you think that’s so?