Big as the sky at night

Friday, January 6, 2023

Day of Epiphany

(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)

Big as the sky at night

The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself.

This year Epiphany gets two days, one today, the thirteenth day of Christmas (so to speak) and the other on the following Sunday. That is fine with me; there is plenty to say about it. The moments of “epiphany” in my own life have shaped all the rest. And that’s true for many poets and artists, maybe all poets and artists, whose work draws in both children and adults. We know God is not far away, and in these moments of epiphany we know it absolutely.

The Secret Place
by Dennis Lee 

There’s a place I go, inside myself,
Where nobody else can be,
And none of my friends can tell it’s there–
Nobody knows but me.

It’s hard to explain the way it feels,
Or even where I go.
It isn’t a place in time or space,
But once I’m there, I know.

It’s tiny, it’s shiny, it can’t be seen,
But it’s big as the sky at night…
I try to explain and it hurts my brain
But once I’m there, it’s right.

There’s a place I know inside myself,
And it’s neither big nor small,
And whenever I go, it feels as though
I never left at all. 

All roads lead to God, not Rome. So when I am caught up in the air, so to speak, when my mind no longer considers a schedule or menu but instead settles into silence, then I am heading into the presence of God. There are plenty of obstacles, which can be acronymed into the word WEEDS. Woolgathering, Enlightenment (thoughts), Emotion, Dumping of my subconscious and Self-consciousness are valuable, even precious at other times, but they simply distract in moments of centered prayer.

The Lord sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: this is my beloved Son. Listen to him.

God doesn’t allow definition or even thoughtfulness in these above-and-beyond experiences. What did the wise men and women do when they rode their camels all day? Of course they did a lot of thinking and calculating. But the best moments for them, as for us, were when God’s presence lifted them up and out of themselves and allowed them times of silent harmony and peace.

The black sky and all the millions of stars taught them perspective as they rode. What a backdrop for their trip, day after day, night after night, stopping to sleep but often in their weariness resting their minds as they journeyed on, waiting in patience for whatever fruit their journey would bring.

Coming up out of the water Jesus saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens: “You are my beloved Son.”

They had no idea … which was the best thing they had going for them. Certainly they didn’t expect to find a baby with other men and women worshipping him. They placed their gifts beside Jesus. His eyes watched theirs, in his slight smile they felt their hearts empty and fill again with new life. These professors and magicians left everything most precious and felt God turn their souls toward Jesus. How could this be? And how would it affect their lives from now on?

Call it epiphany.

(1 John 5, Psalm 147, Mark 9, Mark 1)

(posted at www.davesandel.net)

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