Epiphany Worship

You are invited to join us for worship on Tuesday night, January 6, 2026 at 6:00pm for a celebration of Holy Communion on the Feast of Epiphany. But what is Epiphany anyway?

Epiphany is the Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the magi (or the wise men) to the young Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Traditionally these men are named Caspar, Melchoir, and Balthazar, although their names are not given in the Bible. Often times we compress the Christmas story into a single unit: Jesus is born, shepherd's visit, then wise men show up. But in reality, it's likely that the wise men visited Jesus quite a bit later, explaining why Herod had all of the baby boys two-years-old and younger killed.

The word "Epiphany" comes from the Biblical Greek word ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia) meaning "manifestation" or "appearance." The feast day celebrates that God is revealed to human beings, so that we see who he is and what he means for us.

When the magi visit, they bring gifts that reveal who he will be for us: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for a corpse. Christ will be our king, our great high priest, and our atoning sacrifice on the cross. These magi are not Jews, but rather Gentiles, showing us that Christ has come not just for the Jewish people, but for all people who seek his light.

An Epiphany tradition I would like to commend to our congregation is that of marking door posts. Those who attend our Epiphany service on Tuesday night will be sent home with a piece of chalk and a guide on how to mark a blessing on your door post. The blessing will be "20 + C + M + B + 26." The letters CMB come from the first letters of the traditional names of the wise men, but are also taken to mean Christus mansionem benedicat, which is Latin for "May Christ bless this house." Thus, our blessing will be for our homes in 2026.

I hope to see many of you at worship Tuesday night for Epiphany!