8AM - Holy Eucharist
 10AM - Holy Eucharist with Choir and Church School

This week Epiphany is a moveable feast and we will celebrate it two days early on Sunday. The celebration of Epiphany (which means the manifestation of God in Greek) was important in the Eastern Church from the fourth century and was connected with the stories of Jesus' birth, the visit of the magi, and Jesus' baptism. In some places it was a primary occasion for baptisms. In some cultures, Epiphany, "Three Kings Day," is the date of gift-giving. According to the three-year revised common lectionary, Epiphany concludes attention to the infancy narratives with the story of the visit of the magi to the young Jesus, who is now living in a house.

The magi visited Jesus at home and not the stable and manger as we see in nativity scenes. Home, the place of our hearts that people have an almost universal longing for... memories of security or comfort, familiar paths and sidewalks and the old oak tree in the back yard. We long for what was, knowing we can never return once we have been changed by life. For some this means we live forever as wanderers and refugees. In the gospel text (Matthew 2:1-12), Jesus and his family are refugees far from their home in Galilee. Shortly after the events in this text they will leave for Egypt, fleeing from Herod's persecutions and becoming political refugees.

Still, no matter where we are or how far we travel, as Christians we are always home. Even secular notions of home are more about what physical location means to us, rather than mere location. This is particularly true for us as God's people. For the children of God, home is less about a place than it is experience of the presence of God. Home is being in the company of God's people gathered from the ends of the earth and dining together. Home is that holy place in the presence of God where everyone has a place at the table and all are treated equally.

My prayer for the people God has gathered as All Saints' Church in this time and place is that we live into being a home everyone can recognize and everyone can experience. Imagine All Saints' as a home for those whose families are broken, a home for those who are homeless, a home for all people. This is the place Jesus creates for us to be more than a house of God, but a home for all who radiate and reflect his love and light.

So all saints and sinners, we travel together with the light of the world guiding us, until finally that light shines in and through our home. We enter the epiphany slowly, maybe even with trepidation, and are overwhelmed with joy. What else can we do in response but offer Jesus the best we have-ourselves and the gifts we have been blessed with. 

Epiphany Light+

Bill