What is Epiphany?
Epiphany is a Christian holiday celebrated on January 6th, 12 days after Christmas in the Gregorian calendar, marking the end of the Christmas holiday.
What does Epiphany mean, and what does the day commemorate?
Epiphany, meaning “manifestation” or “showing forth”, has been celebrated since the end of the second century, before the Christmas holiday was established. It is commonly known as Twelfth Night, Twelfth Day, or the Feast of Epiphany. It is also called Theophany or “manifestation of God”, especially by Eastern Christians.
The holiday commemorates the first two occasions on which Jesus’ divinity, according to Christian belief, was manifested: when the Three Kings or the Magi visited infant Jesus in Bethlehem, and when John the Baptist baptized him in the River Jordan. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches emphasize the visit of the Magi when they celebrate the Epiphany, while the Eastern Orthodox churches focus on Jesus’ baptism.
How is Epiphany observed?
Epiphany is celebrated in various ways around the world. In some European countries, such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, children dress as the three kings and visit houses. In France Le Jour des Rois (the Day of Kings), sometimes called the Fête des Rois, is celebrated with parties for children and adults. In Spain, the holiday is known as Kings’ Day or the Día de Los Reyes, and is celebrated just like a second Christmas, with feasting and the giving of presents.
In Latin America Día de los Reyes Magos is the celebration of Epiphany,
during which the three wise men bring gifts for children. Many Christians in Canada take part in Epiphany activities, such as attending special church services, sessions, luncheons or evening events that focus on the meaning behind Epiphany.
Mummering around the Christmas season until Epiphany is a 200-year-old tradition in Canada and is especially practiced in Newfoundland and Labrador. It involves people disguising themselves with masks or costumes to cover their identity and visiting friends’ or neighbors’ houses to perform songs or dances. Mummering may also include the custom of naluyuks, which are of the Inuit culture of northern Labrador. Naluyuks dress in loose-fitting clothes, mask their faces, and visit house after house to reward good children and frighten bad
ones during this time of year. The children answer questions about their behavior during the past year and receive gifts from the naluyuks if they are happy with the answers.
The Three Kings Cake is another Epiphany tradition in Canada. A trinket is baked inside the cake, and whoever gets the piece of cake with the trinket (often a plastic bean, baby or crown) becomes the “king” or “queen” for the day. The tradition originated in France and is celebrated in many French-speaking parts of the world, including Quebec
The Visit of the Wise Men
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem,
Mathew 2:1
Christmas Angel Program
Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our congregation, we have received almost $2050 in donations for the Christmas Angels program. As a result, we have been able to transfer this amount to the St James Food Basket and 102 people have been given a $20 Walmart gift card. Since the Food Basket was closed during the Christmas holidays, every client received a gift card to help them at this difficult time of year. The members of Outreach would like to thank all of the people who contributed to this fund and helped to bring the joy of Christmas to those in need in our community.
A Fall Devotional Update
A new edition of Our Daily Bread (December/January/February), as well as the current edition of Thes Days (October/November/December) are available on the table in the church vestibule and in the devotional box on the church porch.
Coffee/Tea Sign – Up
The sign-up sheet for coffee/tea service after worship is on the bulletin board opposite the kitchen downstairs. Please sign yourselves up or sign up your committee so that our Fellowship time after church can continue.
Jan. 5 – Susan & Kathy
Jan. 12 –
Jan. 19 – Jackie & Dave
Jan. 26 –
Jimmy Carter: How Prayer Sustained Him
Alina Larson
To honor the memory of President Jimmy Carter, here is his story of faith, prayer and the presidency.
During Jimmy Carter’s presidency from 1977 to 1981, he faced down challenges in the Middle East, Panama and the Soviet Union, as well the energy crisis here in the United States.
It’s all in Carter’s 2010 book, White House Diary, a fascinating collection of the thoughts, observations and candid discussions about his faith that he recorded during his years in office.
According to Carter, it was the Iranian hostage situation that tested him the most. “I prayed more during that year when the hostages were being held than I did any other time in my life,” said Carter in a phone interview during his book tour. “My prayer was that every hostage would come home safe and free while I protected the interests of my country.” Carter’s prayers weren’t answered as quickly as he’d hoped; the hostages were released on his last day in office.
Carter also relied on prayer during his negotiations at Camp David with Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He had so much faith in the power of prayer, in fact, that on the first day Carter proposed that the three lead a world-wide prayer for peace. Sadat agreed immediately and Begin eventually agreed after the three collaborated on the prayer’s exact wording. “I don’t doubt that millions of people in Israel, Egypt, in the Arab world and also in America prayed for peace,” says Carter. The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was finally signed in 1979.
Carter’s faith was so central to his life that, despite hectic presidential demands, he maintained spiritual practices that were important to him: teaching Sunday school and nightly Bible reading.
Carter began teaching Sunday school when he was just 18 and a midshipman at the Naval Academy—and he has taught ever since. As president, he taught Bible lessons at the Baptist church nearest the White House, though the days he would be there were never announced for security reasons.
In 1970, Carter and his wife Rosalynn began the habit of ending each day by reading from the Bible. They took turns each night reading aloud, and when they were in different cities they read the same passage. Beginning in 2000, the couple read in Spanish, just to practice the language.
Though his faith gave him strength, Carter also found inspiration in the regular folks he met thanks to the human rights-focused Carter Center he founded and his work with Habitat for Humanity. “We see the bright side of things and the blessings that God gives so many people,” he said. “I would say the most impressive thing I’ve learned is how similar people are all over the world. A lot of times we tend to underestimate people who don’t have a decent home or don’t have a good education for their kids, who can’t provide for healthcare, or don’t have a regular job. But as we work side-by-side with these people, say, building a Habitat (for Humanity) house, always we find those poor families…are just as smart as I am, just as ambitious, just as hard-working, and their family values are just as good as mine…So we’ve learned a lot about how varied God’s blessings are and how worthy people are and how equal we are in the eyes of God.”