Let’s Party All Weekend

FROM THE RECTOR

Around the world, this weekend will be full of celebrations. Although most of us think of Christmas as the focus of our holiday season, for some the feast of Epiphany gets more attention. While December 25 is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, January 6 is the day when we celebrate the manifestation of that birth to the nations of the world. Also known as El Día de Los Reyes, Epiphany commemorates the visitation of the magi—the kings from the east who followed the star until it led them to Jesus. For those of us who are not Jewish, the story of Jesus’ birth being revealed to these foreigners represents our own inclusion in God’s story of salvation.

This year, that global spirit of celebration will be manifest in our local community in multiple ways.

First, tomorrow evening, we will gather at the home of Jana and Mac Mayfield for the annual Burning of the Greens. This Friday, January 5, is the eve of Epiphany. Called Twelfth Night, it is the final night of the Christmas season, which we commemorate by setting our trees, wreaths, and garland alight in a festive bonfire. In the Episcopal Church, the feast of Epiphany does not get transferred to a Sunday (more about that below), so this is how we not only say goodbye to Christmas but also celebrate the light of salvation shining throughout the world at Epiphany. We will share a chili supper generously provided by the Mayfields, and we encourage you come with a side dish or dessert as well as your greenery.

Then, on Saturday morning, we will celebrate the ordination of our new bishop, John Harmon, at Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock. Every ordination is a special event, but, because bishops are understood to embody the unity and catholicity of the church, the ordination of a new bishop is a celebration not only for our diocese but for the entire Body of Christ. That is one reason bishops are normally ordained on major feasts in the church year, which is why Bishop-Elect John Harmon will be ordained on the feast of the Epiphany—exactly seventeen years after our current bishop was ordained.

Some of us are going to Little Rock for the ordination. Others are planning to participate through the livestream, which you can find here. If you would like to watch the service with other people from St. Paul’s, a watch party is planned in the parish hall starting at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Regardless, I hope you will pray for our new bishop and for our diocese. We have benefitted from Bishop Benfield’s faithful leadership for seventeen years, and a new bishop will bring fresh perspectives, ideas, and initiatives to Arkansas. Through this transition and into this new chapter in our diocese, we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and empowerment.

Finally, on Sunday morning, that Spirit’s power will be manifested not only the congregation that gathers for worship but also in the baptism of a new child of God at the 11:00 service. The reason we do not transfer the feast of the Epiphany to a Sunday is because the first Sunday after January 6 is its own special feast—the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of six special days when we celebrate baptisms at St. Paul’s, and the liturgy reminds us how God and God’s gift of salvation are manifest within each of us because of our own baptism.

In Eastern Christianity, the principal celebration of Epiphany—the revelation of God to the world—takes place in the context of Jesus’ baptism. As we will hear in the gospel lesson this Sunday, when Jesus came up from the Jordan River, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended upon him as God’s voice declared, “You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” That God would reveal God’s triune nature as Father, Son, and Spirit is the epiphanic moment we celebrate this Sunday and every time we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism.

There is much for us to celebrate this weekend. How will you join in the festivities? In each component of our Epiphany-weekend observances, you are invited to recognize the ways in which God’s salvation is manifested in your own life. Let the light of God’s love shine brightly and warmly in your heart as Christmas gives way to Epiphany. See how God’s Spirit is guiding us, the Body of Christ, into a new day as we pray for our new bishop. Remember how God, the blessed Trinity, has revealed Godself to you in the waters of Baptism that you might be called God’s own beloved child. And, through it all, let us rejoice!

Yours Faithfully,

Evan D. Garner