The joy of the feast of the Epiphany

Written by The Rt Rev Josep Rossello, King’s Family of Churches

Epiphany (Greek for “to manifest” or “to show”) is a Christian feast day, which celebrates the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. Epiphany falls on January 6. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the child Jesus on this day, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. (Wikipedia)

The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was originally a general celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the Magi, or “Wise Men” from Persia (Magi being Persian priests), who arrived in Bethlehem; all of Jesus’ childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; and even the miracle at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee. However, it seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the event predominantly commemorated.

Let me explain in the words of the Liturgy of the Hours when it refers to Epiphany: “Three wonders mark this day we celebrate: today the star led the Magi to the manger; today water was changed into wine at the marriage feast; today Christ desired to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation”.

This is the triple revelation of Christ in Epiphany’s reading (Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12), not just to the Jewish people, but also to all nations (Second Reading). This is a bright light for all those who were dwelling in the darkness of the unknowing of God (First Reading); drawn by the star, they have come from afar to the knowledge and adoration of God as he is and has revealed himself (Gospel).

Christ is for all. The Epiphany is the celebration of the universal destination of the Christian message. The Church must be a city placed on a mountaintop, which all can see and all can come to. This involves each one of us. Every Christian is the Church, it is often said, and of course this is true, though frequently misunderstood or misapplied. Even if he or she does not (and should not attempt to) fulfil every function in the Church, each one certainly is the Church in the sense of the place where Christ dwells and is to be revealed to those who do not know him.

Faith that leads to Christ. The gospel is full of meaning and symbolism behind each word and expression. In this sense it is richer than a parable, and a vehicle for contemplative reflection. The journey, the personalities from a distant land, their royalty, the star, its disappearance and reappearance, the homage, the gifts, the difficulties, the dream… all have a valid significance in a Christian message which leads us where it lead the magi: to faith in Christ. Faith is indeed a long journey (a life-long one). It leads us far from the security of the ‘lands’ we are familiar with, to a far-off country where the rules of the game are different.

It requires courage to set out on the journey, when one could stick to the comfort and security of home and ´what everyone does´, and perseverance to continue it, especially when it is not clear where it is leading us (and with real faith, it never is). To be successful it requires reference to the scriptures and their legitimate interpreters, even when the latter are less than spiritual –as has been the case at certain moments in the Church’s journey. The goal of the search can turn out at first to be as disconcertingly unimpressive as the newborn child of a young couple without a home. And yet the grace of God can lead a man or a woman or a child to bend knee and neck and life in adoration before this Child and acknowledge him as King. The encounter with the Child will also fortify the explorer to readily accept the inconveniences and sufferings necessary to protect what he has found, and return home by a different route than was planned.

Faith in Christ is a grace; or rather it is the grace of graces. A gift given to us, but that we may not keep for ourselves. The first requisite for sharing the faith is personal witness. We are responsible for doing what we can in the sphere of our own lives so that the light of Christ really does shine from the city on the hilltop. Someone who is constantly bad-humoured, or self-centred, or sad, is not a sign that God is in the city; or if he is, not a sign that anyone would want to be with him. Someone whose behaviour and conversation is coarse and lewd and who profanes everything he sets his eyes on or turns his tongue to, is not a sign that the sacredness and the beauty of the good reigns there. Someone who destroys her neighbours´ reputation on a daily basis will not inspire people to say, “Look how they love one another”. Someone who lives only to have more of the ´stuff´ of this world is not likely to make people catch a glimpse of the next. What do I need to change, to be a more transparent window into the city of God?

Many European were born into a Christian family; it is difficult for us to appreciate how great a grace faith is, and easy to take it so much for granted that we fail to exercise it. Then it can grow weak and be capable only of short journeys with few or no difficulties. Perhaps it can’t even travel past the everyday obstacles to find Christ our Lord: this current health problem, that difficult sister-in-law, the way that presbyter celebrates the Eucharist, that particular habit my husband has, the pull of all-those-things-I-have-to-do when its time for a few moments of prayer, what-my-friends-will-say (or think… or what I think they’ll think)… From the magi, who were making the journey for the first time, we can learn how faith perseveres, even when the star is hidden, until it appears again, and we come upon the Saviour of the world.

A call to transform the season

Epiphany calls us to a greater feast and celebration when we consider the celebration of Epiphany in light of the children and Christian families. Let me explain, we celebrate the Christmas feast with great joy as the birthday of Jesus Christ. However, much of the symbolism does not come from the biblical narrative (Christmas tree, Santa Klaus, etc.). However, Epiphany Day uses the biblical narrative to blend the joy of giving and God’s redemptive history.

Let me share with you an alternative that I call churches to celebrate to bring a rebirth of the Christian traditions against a more secular and meaningless traditions of contemporary tradition.

I grew up with the redemptive history all around me. Christmas season (from December 24th up to January 6th) was a time where the Bible was opened before me in a visual and symbolic ways. I knew the story very well before I read it in the Bible.

In Spain, the feast start when every home and town builds their own “Belen”, which appear in every town during the Christmas season, are in the tradition of nativity scenes, but much more. A Belen shows not only Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the stable, not only the shepherds watching their flocks by night, not only the Wise Men coming from distant lands to Bethlehem. Belenes are small-scale reproductions of entire towns in ancient times.

http://www.ceheginet.com/archivos/2007/nueva-edicion-del-concurso-de-belenes.jpg
http://www.telefonica.net/web2/belenes-cordoba/galerias/belenes-nacionales/galeria-general/index.htm

Christianity celebrates the Magi on the day of Epiphany, January 6, the last of the twelve days of Christmas, particularly in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world. In these Spanish-speaking areas, the three kings (Sp. “los Reyes Magos de Oriente”, also “Los Tres Reyes Magos”) receive wish letters from children and magically bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. In Spain, each one of the Magi is supposed to represent one different continent, Europe (Caspar), Asia (Melchior) and Africa (Balthasar). According to the tradition, the Magi come from the Orient on their camels to visit the houses of all the children; they visit everyone in one night. In some areas, children prepare a drink for each of the Magi, it is also traditional to prepare food and drink for the camels, because this is the only night of the year when they eat.

Spanish cities organize cabalgatas in the evening, in which the kings and their servants parade and throw sweets to the children (and parents) in attendance. The cavalcade of the three kings in Alcoi (Valencia) claims to be the oldest in the world; the participants who portray the kings and pages walk through the crowd, giving presents to the children directly.

http://www.alcoi.com/cavalcada/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/cabalgatareyesmagos/
In USA, http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/012009/01052009/436593

This is a wonderful way to celebrate God’s redemptive story for humanity, and I call upon the Christians and the churches to take on such godly traditions where the beauty of such season blends with the biblical narrative.

More about Epiphany Season: http://www.cresourcei.org/cyepiph.html

May the Lord strength you each day, and may His light shine in our cities, towns and homes.

In Christ,

Bishop Josep

The Rt. Rev. Josep M. Rossello
Presiding Bishop of the King’s Family of Churches

NightChurch launches Sermon Player

I am delighted to let you know that the NightChurch sermons, old and new, can now be accessed on one page. This is thanks to the people at http://www.sermonplayer.com, a ministry that aims to make Christian teaching available more widely throughout the world.

To see how it works, click on the Sermon Player tab (above).

Tomás+

The Saturday Sermon

This is the Saturday Sermon for February 3rd, 2007

This sermon is based on the account in 1 Samuel 22 of when King Saul tried to assassinate David, the future King of Israel. David escapes the assassination attempt and hides in a cave at Adullam. At first his family join him, then 400 discontented people, and later a further 200.

It is a fascinating account of how God can lead us in even the most difficult of circumstances. Of how the leadership of one man can transfer a whole nation. The 600 discontented men became the elite in the Israeli army.

Listen and be inspired!

Here is the link: Sermon [duration = 8mins, MP3 format]

Tomás+

The Saturday Sermon for January 27th 2007.

This sermon is based on Acts 27, about how Paul evangelised a whole prison ship of 276 prisoners and crew. It is worth pointing out that he gave his message while leading a Eucharist on-board the ship!

Do you want to be set free? How? Through believing Paul’s message – the message of the bible. That is: salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone.

Click here to listen (mp3): Sermon [length = 13 mins]

I hope you enjoy the message.

Tomás+

JOY OF EVERY LONGING HEART

Adapted from Ted Schroder
November 26, 2006



The book of Isaiah is quoted at least 75 times in the New Testament, more than any other Old Testament prophet. Isaiah is the evangelist of the Old Testament, speaking prophecies of which he was not aware, whose fulfillment would be in the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the king of kings. Matthew cites Isaiah 9:1,2 to show how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that the coming King would live in the Galilee of the Gentiles, “the people in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)



Isaiah is the prophet of good news. He is the foreteller of the light that is to come into the world. He prophesies that, in contrast to those who, because of their unbelief and disobedience, look forward toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, who will be thrust into utter darkness; he promises that there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. (Isaiah 8:22;9:1)

The Old Testament looked forward with longing for the fulfillment of the prophecies of a new age where the forces of darkness would be dispelled by the light of the world.

What is it that we long for today? What is the joy we are seeking? What is it that permeates our preparation for Christmas; that expects, and anticipates, and longs for the joy that festival represents? What fearful gloom do we long to dispel? What distress do we want alleviated? What uncertainties and insecurities do we want resolved?

Isaiah looks forward to the birth of a ruler, a Savior, who would inaugurate a new kingdom of God.

—The Rev. Schroder is the pastor of Amelia Plantation Chapel, on Amelia, Island, Florida

You’ve Got To Have Hope – Derek Prince

Abstract: When I came to see that I needed protection for my mind, I remembered that in Ephesians 6:14-18 there are six items of equipment – the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which all are made effective through the weapon of prayer.

Adapted from Derek Prince’s teaching “The Helmet of Hope”

In the 1950s (relatively early in his ministry) Derek Prince was pastor of a church in London. During that time, he regularly saw people saved and healed and baptised in the Holy Spirit. Still, in the midst of these blessings he had a problem of recurrent fits of depression that would come over him like a dark, heavy cloud.

In this teaching letter we are bringing you some of Derek’s insights on how to fight depression by being rooted in the Word of God and by cultivating a new way of praying, thinking and acting.

I struggled against depression by every means in my power that I knew of. I prayed. I fasted. I made resolutions. I got up early to pray. I stayed up late to pray. I did everything that I knew to do and it got no better. In fact, the more I prayed and fasted, the worse it got. One day I had come to the end of my solutions when a phrase in Isaiah 61:3-”The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”-captured my attention.

I suddenly realised that I was dealing with a spirit-a personality that studied me, knew my weaknesses, knew how and when to attack me. I was not dealing with mental or psychological conditions merely in myself. I then understood why the pressure got worse the more I wanted to serve the Lord: because the mission of this spirit was to hinder me in my service for God. This personality knew just how and when to apply the pressure.

Recognising the identity of my enemy was a tremendous step forward. I searched the Scriptures and found a verse that I believed would bring me the solution to my problem.

Joel 2:32 says: It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. (KJV)

I put Isaiah 61:3 and Joel 2:32 together and prayed a very specific prayer: “God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ-according to Your Word-I’m asking you to deliver me from this spirit of heaviness.” And when I prayed that specific, scriptural prayer I was delivered. The pressure was lifted.

I subsequently learned that it’s one thing to be delivered; it’s another thing altogether to stay delivered. God began to show me that He had set my mind free from this demonic pressure, and it was now up to me to re-educate my mind-to cultivate a totally different outlook and way of thinking. Before I was delivered, I was not able to do it. After I was delivered, it was my responsibility to do it.

Wear Your Helmet
In fighting this battle to keep my deliverance from depression, I became aware that the problem area in my life above others was the area of my mind. The devil was continually reaching me through my mind. I happen to have had the privilege of a very sophisticated education. I have discovered that the more highly refined and cultivated a person’s mind is, the more vulnerable it is to Satan. The more you trust in your mind, the more Satan is able to use it against you.

I learned that it was up to me to teach my mind and my thoughts that they were the servant, not the master. When I came to see that I needed protection for my mind, I remembered that in Ephesians 6:14-18 there are six items of equipment-the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit-which all are made effective through the weapon of prayer.

As I studied that list, I noticed the one piece of equipment that is obviously designed to protect the mind: the helmet of salvation. The helmet covers the head, which is typically associated with the thought-life. I saw that God had provided me with protection for my mind.

I knew I had salvation. But I wondered if that meant that I automatically have the helmet of salvation. Or is there more to it than that? In my Bible, the cross-reference to Ephesians 6:17 was 1 Thessalonians 5:8, which says: But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

The helmet is called the hope of salvation. Hope. I realised how little thought or study I had ever given to the place of hope in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit led me from Scripture to Scripture through the New Testament showing me that my whole spiritual experience was unbalanced and incomplete without a proper understanding of the place of hope as the protection of my mind.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul says: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three . . .

In the context of the chapter, it’s clear that these are the three continuing (abiding) realities of spiritual experience in the Christian life. Other things, Paul says, are temporary. They have a purpose, and when their purpose is fulfiled they will no longer be needed. But he says the abiding three realities of spiritual experience are faith, hope, and love.

I studied further and learned that there is a scriptural difference between faith and hope. They are located in different areas of the human personality. Biblical faith relates to the present from the realm of the heart. Hope relates to the future from the realm of the mind.

The protection of the believer’s mind is the helmet of hope. Therefore, I believe every Christian must be an optimist. For a Christian to be a pessimist is-in effect-a denial of his faith. Hope provides a confident expectation of good.

My mind-which had been captivated by the spirit of heaviness-was now liberated. And God showed me that my mind was liberated so that I might retrain it. He was not going to retrain it for me. That was my responsibility. I had to cultivate a totally different outlook-different attitudes, different reactions, different mental patterns. Romans 8:28 is just one of many verses supporting my belief that every believer should be an optimist: We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

If you love God and if you are sincerely seeking to walk in His purposes, then all things work together for good to you. And if all things are working together for good, there can be no reason for pessimism. Every situation is an occasion for optimism. The key is to train our minds to embrace this truth and live by it.

Scriptural Evidence
Hope is one of the most beautiful themes in the Bible. Romans 4:18 tells us about Abraham when he received the promise of God about the birth of his son, Isaac, long after it was physically possible for either him or his wife. Against hope [he] believed in hope. (KJV)

Abraham believed and, as a result, he hoped. Believing was first. Hoping was secondary-or the product of the faith. And Hebrews 11:1 says it even more clearly: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for..

Faith is the underlying bedrock of assurance on which hope is supported. Faith produces hope. Both are legitimate, but we must have them in the right place-they are designed to operate in the right relationship.

You simply cannot survive without hope. In Romans 15:13, Paul says: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God is not merely the God of peace, the God of joy, the God of righteousness and the God of power. He’s also the God of hope. So when you are filled with joy and peace through believing (faith), the result will be that you will overflow in hope.

By way of contrast, in Ephesians 2:12 Paul offers a picture of those who do not have hope:
. . That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Paul says that the lost are without three things: without Christ, without God, without hope. When you are without hope, you are without Christ and without God. Hope is that integral to our salvation.

In Colossians 1:27, speaking this time about the unfathomable mystery of the gospel, Paul writes about the believers: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery . . . which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (KJV)

The whole of the gospel centres in this great and wonderful revelation that was kept secret from all the prophets and sages and great men of past generations. And the amazing part is that this mystery is now revealed to humble believers like you and me: that Christ is actually in us, and that Christ in us is our actual hope of glory.

The glory is in the future. The one who has Christ within has hope for that future-a glorious, radiant, confident expectation of eternal glory with Almighty God. That’s what you have when you have Christ in you.

In Hebrews 6:18-20, the writer emphasises the tremendous basis that we have for our faith in Christ:
. . That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Our hope is an anchor of the soul, steadfast and sure. It’s an anchor that actually passes out of time into eternity and fastens within the veil in the great Rock of Ages-Jesus Christ, our High Priest and our forerunner.

A boat needs an anchor because it floats on the unstable, impermanent element of water. The anchor is passed from the boat, through the unstable element of water, into the stable element of rock. Then it is stabilised and made secure. When you pass your anchor through the water (time) into the rock (eternity), you can be secure.

When you invest yourself in your relationship with Jesus, you are casting your anchor into that Rock of Ages. And all the storms and hurricanes that blow will never detach you from that Rock. The way that we anchor into it is through hope.

Intentional Training
It is up to us to train our minds to hope. In my own life, the difference was like night and day. It didn’t come in five minutes, though; it took more than five years. But it’s been worth every bit of training that I’ve put into it.

Deliverance will set you free to do your share. But it’s your responsibility to contend for your deliverance. And for many of us (if not most of us), the mind is the most vulnerable point.
Take the helmet of salvation-the helmet of hope. Put it on. Cover your mind. Protect your thoughts; bring them under control and in line with the Word of God. And experience the glorious results.

Adapted from Derek Prince’s teaching: “The Helmet of Hope”

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

See: http://www.derekprince.co.uk. If you put the word “hope” into the search box after you get the site, it will bring you to the article and also other resources on the topic.