Epiphany

Epiphany
January 2, 2005

"Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth... but upon you the LORD shines (Isaiah 60:1-6) ... the Gentiles are coheirs, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus.... (Ephesians 3: 2-6) They were overjoyed at seeing the star... then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:1-12)

The Gospel tells the Christmas story of the discovery of the Messiah by the Gentile world, represented by the Magi from foreign lands in "the east". Part of ancient wisdom was understanding of heavenly bodies believed to contain powerful spirits controlling their movements as well as events on earth -- the "science" of ancient times and the "astrology" of today. The appearance of the star (a comet?) leads them to recognize an even deeper wisdom, the fulfillment of Israel's prophetic longings for the Messiah. For Eastern Christians this is the fullness of Christmas, the Messiah revealed to everyone on earth.

The metaphor of the star has been hovering over me for the last several days. My children were with us for the Christmas weekend. They all take their turns helping out with the routines of caregiving for me: putting food in my mouth almost on demand, massaging my hands and feet periodically throughout the day, transferring me from wheelchair to bed in the evening. Once again my little four-year-old granddaughter set the tone by spontaneously coming up to me, taking one of my fingers in her hand and massaging it, while carrying on running conversations about when our next dose of chocolate is going to be. In addition my regular crew of caregivers, family and friends -- all of them "family" really --coming in on a daily basis to make their contributions to our well-being. Amazingly, they tell us how much it means to them to be part of this circle of love and care. Even beyond those who can provide physical help are the hundreds who care about us from a distance in thought and prayer. A friend who has devoted his life to research into the causes and treatment of ALS commented to me this past week that he thought this might be the primary reason for my ability to continue live meaningfully and productively. All these people are my "stars", the living embodiments of the light of Emanuel. We open our treasures of ourselves to each other and receive back infinitely more than we give.

How is the Messiah made known in our small worlds? The story of the Magi invites us to reflect upon our own hopes and dreams, for light in darkness, for wisdom and truth in confusion, for the presence of the Most High in our lives. What transformations of life and attitude will occur in this new year, this new age of light? The waiting is over. Emanuel is here among us now, revealed in the faces, hands and hearts of those who treat us with respect and gentleness.