On Wednesday, January 6th, the Church universal celebrated the feast of Epiphany. Epiphany calls us to remember the heavenly light that guided the wise men to the Christchild. When the Magi recognized Jesus for who he is, the revelation showed that Jesus came for Jew and Gentile alike. What joy for those of us whose earthly heritage has been grafted into the eternal heritage God began in Abraham.
Of course, this year, Epiphany isn’t all that occurred on January 6th. The world watched as men and women claiming to be wise acted as fools as they stormed the Capitol building in what attendees referred to as a revolution.
“The season of Epiphany reminds us that we do not just receive the light of Christ. We are charged with sharing it with all the world,” writes Tish Harrison Warren in “We Worship with the Magi, Not MAGA.” “But if the nations were watching yesterday—as people destabilized democracy while carrying flags that read ‘Make
America Godly Again’—would any onlooker want anything to do with this Christ?”
Harrison Warren goes on to explain how the events of January 6th were not without a history. A four-year history, to be sure, but one even longer. Portions of the evangelical church have long failed to equip believers to withstand the fearmongering, deceptive siren calls of a distorted gospel. Groups like QAnon and the Alt-Right claim to offer promises of truth, power, and belonging. They say that the unseen will be seen. They peddle conspiracies that resonate with the broken places in so many of us.
You can belong. You can be made wise. You can finally be seen for as special as you are.
On Wednesday, we watched these alleged promises ring hollow. But the spirit of Epiphany calls us to true belonging, wisdom, and intimacy.
“To have an epiphany is to grasp reality,” Harrison Warren writes, “to receive insight.”
As we grieve the events of Wednesday, may we look to that which the light illuminates for us, remaining hopeful for the day that the True Light, which enlightens everything, will return to us.
