A SEASON OF LIGHT January 6 thru February 17 - Squarespace

A SEASON OF LIGHT
January 6 thru February 17

When we watch our favorite films or listen to our well-worn albums over and over
again, we often pick up something different, something new, something resonant. A
familiar line hits us with new power. An old scene feels as if it’s cracking with life
even though we’ve seen it a dozen times.

The seasons of the church are like that. Each season carries familiar stories and
themes that intersect our lives like a spiral. But like our favorite films or music, each
experience of a well-worn story has a mixture of familiarity and novelty. Our lives are
different now than when we last considered them. This intersection of the familiar
with our present unknown is the space where God’s Spirit is at work in our lives:
speaking to us, guiding us and nurturing us.

Epiphany means “manifestation”. It is a season where we consider the life of Jesus
and ask, “what is God revealing to me through the miracles, the parables, the
healings, the conversations, the debates, the rebukes, and the invitations of Jesus?”
The work of spiritual formation during Epiphany is to build a bridge between Jesus’
life and our lives through paying attention.

There are three key stories for the season of Epiphany: the story of the Magi visiting
Jesus as a child, the story of Jesus being baptized, and the story of Jesus’ first
miracle turning water into wine.

                     “How might God be shining light on
                     our stories through the life of Jesus?”

                                     Focal Practice:

                             HOSPITALIT Y
  One of the key stories of Epiphany is the moment when Magi (wise people) from the
  East visit Jesus as a child, brining him gifts (Matthew 2:12). This season is a time to
  focus on how we can give the gift of presence to others and welcome their
  presence into our lives.

  As a symbol of this story and our commitment to open our hearts and lives to
  others, the Church has encouraged the observance of a ceremony called “Chalking
  the Door”. This is a rich and vivid way to bless our homes and refocus our hearts on
  our important calling to take the light of Christ beyond our home into our world. At
  the same time, we mark out our home as a place for hospitality and rest. The chalk
  markings serve as a reminder as we come in and go out that to follow Jesus is to
  offer the gift of our lives to others and to make space in our life for the gifts of
  others.

  It is true that the practice of hospitality is strained because of the pandemic. But
  this is an opportunity to practice one of our core values as a church: creativity.
  Creativity finds solutions when obstacles prevent us from attempting proven
  methods. Since offering our gifts and presence in love is a theme of Epiphany
  perhaps you can consider creatively offering simple gifts that transcend the
  boundaries of the pandemic and create connection. It might look like dropping off
  your favorite ingredients for a cookie or cocktail and then finding a time to share
  them via your digital platform of choice. It might look like writing a letter, naming
  the light you see in a neighbor. It might look like engaging the “others” or “enemies”
  of your life with a renewed sense of curiosity and goodwill, whether it’s on social
  media or messaging. What if we fasted from cruel words that push out rather than
  welcome in? We are excited to hear of ways you imagine gift giving and connection
  in this moment!

Seasonal Ritual:

              CHALKING THE DOOR

Chalking the door is an Epiphany tradition of blessing with allusions to the Exodus
story where the Israelites mark their door posts as a sign of covenant belonging
and protection from evil. It is also a sign of inclusion, acknowledging that one of
the best ways to resist evil is through mercy, love and hospitality.

The blessing involves “chalking” the doorframe of your home with the numbers of
the year separated by the initials, CMB. The letters traditionally refer to the
legendary names of the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Another
tradition refers to it as the abbreviation of the Latin phrase, Christus Mansionem
Benedicat, which means “May Christ bless this house.”

To chalk the door for Epiphany, one would write in chalk on the outside doorframe:

                         21 + C + M + B + 21
Feel free to adapt this practice as you see fit, but see below a suggestion for how
to incorporate prayer and scripture readings into the practice of chalking the door!
May God bless our homes and imaginations with the generous and curious
qualities of the Magi and the welcoming posture of the Holy Family. Let us focus
on the simple truth that loving one another is the most tangible way to “manifest”
the light of God into the world.

After singing a joyful hymn, such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” the leader begins:

LEADER: Peace be with this house and with all who live here. Blessed be God forever.
ALL: Blessed be God forever!
LEADER: Today we gather in this holy place to recognize that Christ dwells here.
As the Three Kings followed the light of the star, we too follow the light of Christ to be a
place of welcome, a people of generosity, and a dwelling place for God.
The home is where we first learn to pray and search for Christ,
to forgive and receive forgiveness, to offer our gifts, and to bless each other.
Let us then ask God to open our hearts so that, as the doors of this home are opened to
neighbor and traveler, this family may be a source of welcome for all in need and a place
where Christ is found.
As the words of the Gospel of John are proclaimed, let us consecrate this door and the
home it protects, and all the doors herein to Christ who is the sheep.
Let the front door be the threshold that leads both ways to the blessings and goodness of
God.
As the Scripture below is proclaimed, the oldest and the youngest persons of the
household may take turns using chalk to inscribe “21 + C + M + B + 21” on the outside
lintel of the front door. A reader may slowly read the following text of sacred Scripture
from the family Bible as the inscription is written over the door – John 1:13-14.
READER:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
The gospel of the Lord.

ALL: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

          (inscribe 2) (inscribe 1) (inscribe +) (inscribe C) (inscribe +) (inscribe M)
                (inscribe +) (inscribe B) (inscribe +) (inscribe 2) (inscribe 1)

Reader:
And behold, the star they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped
over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on
entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They bowed very low to show
honor and respect.
Those gathered each receive a lit candle and follow into the main gathering space of the
home. Before chalking all of the doorways, the leader begins the litany (responsive
prayer) and all join in its response as people chalk their interior doorways.
Leader:
As this household has been given the light of Christ let us pray that this home shines
radiantly with the love of God to be a shelter of peace for all who visit and dwell in it as
we sign all of our doorways.

Our response is: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
With Mary, and Joseph:
Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
With Anne and Joachim
With Elizabeth and Zechariah With Anna and Simeon:
Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
With the shepherds and the kings With all the angels and saints
With all holy men and women:
All: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Leader: For the sick and the hungry
For the homeless and the lonely
For friend and stranger:
All: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Leader: For neighbor and traveler In our hopes and dreams In our faults and failings:
All: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Leader: In times of joy and peace
In times of sadness and grief:
All: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Leader: When anger and fear confuse us
When pride and pain confound us:
All: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
Leader: When the plans we make must change When you call us home by a different
way In all things, great and small:
The leader continues.
Leader: Christ taught us to call upon the Father, and so we pray:
All: Our Father...
Those gathered may then place a hand on the shoulder of the person near them as the
leader says the following prayer.
Leader: Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation,
for through your goodness you have given us shelter from the cold and the light of
your Word to brighten the darkness of night.
We come to you bearing no gifts, for everything we have is a gift from you. All we can
offer is our love for each other and our faith in your Son.
Transform, then, these humble gifts into an epiphany,
a revelation of your divine presence, and bless this house and all who come to it.
May this home and this family be a light for all who are lost and afraid, a place of
peace and hospitality for those in need, and a sign that you are indeed God with us.
And when our long journey has ended, lead us all by the star of your mercy that we
may come home to you to the dwelling place you have prepared for us.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

EPIPHANY PRAYER STAR
A fun way to engage your children in prayer is to use the Epiphany Prayer Star we
have created which you can find in the Appendix of this guide. There are several
creative ways to engage this prayer as a family:

MOVE THE STAR: On a chalk board wall or a large piece of paper/cardboard,
draw a horizontal line from one end to the other. At each end of the line create a
picture representing the journey of the Magi. For example, you may want to have
mountains or a silhouette of a kingdom on the left side and a sketch of the Nativity
scene or baby Jesus on the right side. Begin by placing the star via scotch tape on
the left side of the line. Each night when you pray the Epiphany prayer, move the
star toward Jesus. You can move it in daily or weekly increments, depending on
how often you would like to pray the prayer.

STAR UNDER THE PILLOW: Each night you may want to let a child pray the
prayer with the star in hand and then place the star under the pillow before falling
asleep as a symbol of God’s loving presence while they sleep. If you have multiple
children you can rotate who gets to pray and who gets to put the star under the
pillow.

BEGIN & END WITH THE STAR: If your family already has a prayer rhythm,
consider using the Epiphany prayer as an opening or a closing to your family prayer
time. Find a place to display the star as a reminder of the season and the heart of
the prayer.

MAKE YOUR OWN STAR: If you prefer to be more spontaneous or creative, feel
free to have your child pray their own prayer each night and you or your child can
write it down on a star. Over the 8 weeks of Epiphany, display the collection of
stars that represent the prayers of your children.

                      EPIPHANY CANDLE
Light is the central image of the Epiphany season and therefore candles are
amazing ways to remind us of both the light of God’s presence and our calling to
be salt and light for the world. Many choose to place the candle in a visible spot,
like a window, for all to see. If you’d like to make your own candle, check out the
instructions in the appendix.

EPIPHANY LET TERS
Epiphany is a season to reflect on how God is being revealed to us. Many of the
ways this happens is through people. Take time to write a few people who have
helped you see or experience God in new ways and share your gratitude for them
as a way to brighten this season for them. Consider being specific with your letter,
noting the words or actions that impacted you.

You may also consider writing letters to those whom God puts on your mind or
heart. Letters are beautiful ways to let someone know you care for them and
become powerful ways to extend the light of God’s love to the “other.” This could
be someone who you are close with or it could be someone you barely know like a
neighbor, a police officer, a city councilperson or your building’s personnel.

                             THREE GIFTS
Epiphany is about showing God’s love in tangible ways. The Magi from the East
visited the Christ child with gifts to honor and welcome him. Who might you buy a
gift for during this season to show honor and welcome? You may consider
practicing the old tradition of placing 3 gifts in your child’s or roommate’s shoes on
the Saturday morning of Epiphany, January 6th. Finally, you may consider 3 people
you want to bless this year beyond your home. It is often fun to ask as a family or
apartment, “who do we want to bless together?”

                           FRANKINCENSE
If you have an essential oils diffuser, consider buying Frankincense and diffusing
on Sundays during the season or as often as you want. Scent is powerful - so
powerful that it has become a significant part of branding schemes with
companies like Apple creating custom scents that consumers associate with their
brand. It is a beautiful practice to infuse the air with a distinct scent that signals
to the senses that something unique is happening. Let this scent become
something that reminds you of all the stories and themes you explore in Jesus’ life
during Epiphany.

T.S. ELIOT POEM
This forty-three line poem has become a classic meditation on the significance of the
Magi journey then and now.

‘A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the
weather sharp, The very dead of winter.’

And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory, Lying down in the
melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls
bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the
night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile
and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped in away in the meadow. Then we
came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an
open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again,
      but set down This set down
      This: were we led all that way for

      Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
      We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
      But had thought they were different; this Birth was
      Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
      We returned to our places, theseKingdoms,
      But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
      With an alien people clutching their gods.
      I should be glad of another death.

                     FAT TUESDAY PART Y
As Epiphany is winding down, it is good to begin preparation for Lent, considering
the ways we plan to fast and seek God with deeper intent. Fat Tuesday (also called
Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Epiphany before the fasting season of Lent.
Many take the final week of Epiphany to prayerfully consider the spiritual practices
they will embrace during Lent so the turn of the season doesn’t catch them
unprepared.

The term “shrove” is the past tense of the verb “to shrive” meaning to confess. On
this day before Ash Wednesday, Christians approach the season of Lent with
confession of sin and intent. Because it was common to fast from rich or fatty
foods during Lent, Shrove Tuesday was the last day to use the ingredients — a way
to clean out the pantry for Lent. This is why many host pancake suppers to
symbolize this last rich meal.

Epiphany Star Pattern w/ Words

                        O God, by the leading of a star you
                         manifested your only Son to the
                        peoples of the earth; Lead us, who
                          know you now by faith, to your
                     presence, where we may see your glory
                      face to face; through Jesus Christ our
                     Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
                        the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
                                  forever. Amen.

Epiphany Star Pattern (Blank)