I remember sitting in my then pastors office as he explained the meaning of Epiphany to me. We got as far as “…and ‘Phany’ means…” before descending into giggles and I don’t remember if we ever finished that conversation.
Since this is much less amusing to explain in writing let’s give it a go:
Epi
is a Greek preposition which doesn’t map on to our English ones very well; it can mean on or above but to is also acceptable and the one that seems to be in use here.Phany
is also from the Greek meaning to show, to display or to bring to light.
What’s this got to do with January the 6th? Well, it’s the day we celebrate the Wise Men visiting Jesus. Of course, we don’t have exact dates for when this happened in relation to Jesus’ birthday, but it does seem to be closer to 2 years later rather than just 12 days (so maybe we’ve just marked Epiphany for Christmas 2019!) But it is very much something worth celebrating!
Why celebrate Epiphany? The arrival of the Wise Men, from somewhere to the east of Israel, demonstates that this isn’t just a local event or even one solely for the Jews. Christmas is marked by God himself coming to the poor, the lowly, the outcast - Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds, but they’re all Jewish. They’ve been waiting for the Messiah all their lives, and it’s a joy for them to see God’s promises fulfilled. But Epiphany brings the God Man to light for Gentiles, unbelievers, those who lived far away and looked to the stars, not the scriptures to find meaning and purpose. Yet God used what they knew to reveal to them that he had come for them!
On Epiphany we remember that God came for Jews and Gentiles, which is good news for both Jews and Gentiles as we meet the God who came to save the whole world!
Also Happy Christmas to Eastern Orthodox believers in Russia, Egypt, Greece and whereever in the World you’re worshipping today!