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Read Matthew 2:1-12, Micah 6:6-8
Epiphany probably surfaces various images for us following Advent, Christmas, and the new church year. I believe there is a relationship between the wise men’s journey to celebrate and honor the birth of a king, their epiphany, and the prophesy of Micah: “What does the Lord require of us? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
There are a multitude of ways for us to give gifts and share the “good news.” I suggest that we can interpret Micah’s prophesy in the sense that “being Christ” in the world has to do with the gifts of justice and mercy as well as a humble relationship with God. Entering a process of spiritual discernment may be one avenue we can take in order to accomplish that.
I was recently reminded of another example of how and when to discover new possibilities for Epiphany. It’s the “Parable of the Washing Machine.”
 It’s a situation that may have happened to you. Our automatic washing machines can at times get over loaded or when they spin, can become unbalanced. One of my friends told of hearing her machine banging away out of balance but didn’t attend to it immediately. When she returned some time later, she discovered it had “walked” into the room as far as the hoses would allow and by this time had refilled with water. So she shut it off but quickly discovered it was now too heavy to move back. It was only when she turned it back on, drained the water somewhat, and left it unbalanced that she could then “walk” it back to its rightful place.
Whether we are hurting, feeling out of balance, or struggling with life, we may best discover how to act justly and show mercy when we are feeling out of sorts or unbalanced. Those are the times when we can grow and change and discover how the Spirit may be leading us to offer gifts of justice or mercy.
Perhaps it’s time to influence our political leaders to move toward peace rather than war, to work toward building international relationships and coalitions for confronting AIDS or hunger or better forms of economic development. Perhaps we might take on a project to provide better resources for our homeless neighbors, or confront the epidemic of domestic violence.
Congregational social concerns committees could enable the congregation to discover these kinds of gifts. We are called to remember that while the gospel is personal, it is never private. It is always relational and public.
So whether we feel very satisfied with our situation in life or we are feeling out of balance, this is the time to discern how the Spirit may be leading us to discover new gifts we might have to offer for justice and mercy and peace in a world which seems more and more chaotic. It’s when we are most peaceful within and most humble in God’s strength that we have the power to be one of God’s gifts to others.
Prayer: When we find ourselves distressed, out of balance or challenged to discover who we can yet become for God, let us not be too quick to scramble toward tranquility, but to discover during our distress what new vision and new possibilities God has in mind for us. May that become a true epiphany for us. In the name the Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Gordon Kieft
Pastoral Counselor
Calvary Baptist Church
Denver, CO
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