Our Epiphany season began with the first bonfire St. Stephen’s has had in decades. What fun it was to gather in the country over a pile of dried Christmas trees set ablaze!
Once the brightness of the feast of Epiphany fades however, the season of seeking the light of Christ is just beginning for us. February is here, and the season of Epiphany continues.
With the winter holidays over, we have a chance to settle into our routines. Routines are helpful to us. They help us to recalibrate. We are more able to achieve the balance we know we need for healthy minds, and bodies, and spirits when our days and weeks are paced by a steady rhythm.
During Epiphany, the church in her wisdom encourages us to look at the many places the light of Christ is made manifest. This is the time when we seek the light of Christ wherever it may be found.
At St. Stephen’s, this season offers us a time for growth. This month, we are beginning several opportunities for group study. Among these is our Sunday morning formation, which is open to all. The book we now are reading together focuses on faith practices that sustain us for the journey. I can already tell will be a timely topic for us!
Below is the beginning of my favorite Epiphany prayer. As you set your intentions for this month ahead, I offer it to you as one of the many prayers you may pray on behalf of yourself and the larger church:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world:
Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments,
may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory.
In your coming and your going, may God bless you and those you love with the brightness of Christ’s glory! And, like the wise who go before us, may you keep seeking the light of Christ.
Giulianna+