Do you want to live life to the fullest? To live effectively, as a wife, husband, mother, father, sister, brother and friend? Effective living means I am choosing to use my time well and creating a rightly ordered day. Rightly ordering my day means first seeking God. My life changed when I started having coffee with God to start my day. This small act of surrender let God into my heart. I learned to seek His will through prayer and scripture, and meditation. I learned to get my priorities get straight.
Today is Epiphany marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts and one of the most important. Historically, Epiphany celebrated four things: Jesus’ nativity, the Magi’s visit to the Holy Family, Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. Each biblical event is a theophany, or epiphany, a special manifestation of Jesus Christ to mankind.
I’ve been contemplating the visit of the Three Kings, symbolizing the revelation of Jesus Christ as a light for the Gentile nations and the Savior born for the redemption of all mankind. Oh how I love the light. I find the light comforting and challenging, drawing me to something greater than myself. What if the Magi hadn’t seen the light of the star or been curious? Gods goodness drew them and they listened. They were Wise Men just as you and I can be.
As I spend time in prayer and learn of God’s wisdom, He teaches me His ways. I gain confidence in the promises He makes to me. I also learn a countercultural way to live, in peace. My faith helps fuel me and God draws me to an everlasting peace. As my north star shifts to an eternal perspective, I am guided home to my Creator, granting me peace despite my circumstances.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
On this, the seventh day of the Octave of Christmas, we are given a mystery. The mystery of the “Word.” It’s a language that is veiled and yet revealing at the same time. It presents Jesus to us as the “Word.” He is the Word who takes on flesh and is eternal, from “the beginning with God.” The passage goes on to say that the Word was God and that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Lord, Jesus, Eternal Word of the Father, I thank You for coming among us and for making Your eternal dwelling present to us. Thank You for the great mystery of Christmas. Help me to always celebrate this season with great joy and gratitude, and also with a sense of mystery. May I always realize that the mystery of Christmas will never be fully understood. May this mystery draw me closer each and every day so that I may fall more deeply in love with You, my eternal God. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.
From Tragedy to Glory – Feast of the Holy Innocents
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Today on the fourth day of the Octave of Christmas, we see out of envy and hatred, Herod had countless innocent children killed in an attempt to eliminate Jesus, the newborn King. How is this same envy and hatred playing out in our world today?
Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life—for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
