JAMES' FAMILY EPIPHANY HOW TO:

Christmas is drawing to a close. It’s always a bit sad, but I’m so thankful for the extended period the church has provided for this celebration. I need to remember that it’s not over yet, and it ends with a bang. Twelfth Night and Epiphany morning are approaching. Theophany will follow days later, and we’ll get to bless the waters beneath which crushed dragons lie! There is still much to look forward to before life returns to its normal pace and tenor. Though not part of Christmas.

Epiphany forms the bookend to this side of Christmastide. It is a celebration of God’s revelation of the gospel to those who were once afar off- the Magi. It’s the proper time to place the wise men around the manger. More ancient than Christmas, this celebration is known as Theophany by our Eastern brothers and sisters. It commemorates three “in your face” revelations of Jesus as Christ and Lord: the magi’s worship, Christ’s Baptism and the miraculous transformation of water into wine by our Savior’s thought. This feast day brings to fruition the awesome gift of the Nativity by making manifest the word made flesh.

There is simply too much to squeeze into a single day, and so our family celebrates the Magi’s worship on Epiphany morning and our Saviors baptism on the following Sunday.

I’ll try to give you a heads up on what we do on Theophany Sunday so that you can play along with us, if you want, but there is plenty to prepare for this coming Epiphany morning.

This is how we do it: Christmas ends on it’s twelfth day-January 5th. This is called Twelfth Night and was once the biggest party of the year. We’ve often talked of planning such a party, but it’s never materialized. Anyway, this means that Epiphany morning (January 6th) falls one day outside of Christmas. Doesn’t bother us, though. We have saved gifts for opening on this blessed morning. Our way of doing this has been to open stockings on Christmas morning and any gifts from the grandparents that may have arrived. Gifts from brother and sisters are opened throughout Christmastide. For example, Bekah has an evening to distribute her gifts, Hannah has another, etc. This makes the season truly exciting for the children and keeps the generosity of the giver from being swallowed up in everyone else’s giving.

We’ve always kept the children home from school to celebrate on January 6th, and they’re up early for the gifts under the tree on Three Kings Day. Later in the day, we’ll have a celebratory meal (though not as large as Christmas. We’ll save that for next Sunday and the celebration of our Lord’s baptism) where the significance of the day is discussed. The one requirement for the meal in our home is that we finish it off with a Bean Cake. This is a cake into which Sandi has baked a bean. Whoever finds that bean in his or her slice is crowned Bean King or Queen for the year. Their services are required through the coming year’s celebrations in various ways. Basically the rule is that whenever someone has an honored role in a family celebration, it goes to the Bean Queen to preside or appoint. But we don’t have to wait for later in the year; there is an immediate task to perform. This is the traditional time to bless our homes. We do this by chalking our doors. By that I mean we write a blessing in chalk above the door of the house. Gathering by the front door we look at last year’s visible blessing, still smeared across the lintel. We then recount the blessings and protections God has provided in answer to the chalky prayer. The blessing is then erased by last year’s monarch, and a new one is drawn by the newly crowned bean king. Hear is a suggested liturgy for chalking your doors; you might wish to create your own. Here is another. This is getting a bit long for a post, so I’ll put the liturgy we’ll use up as a separate post

The blessing itself takes this form- 20 + C + M + B + 08. The year for which we are asking God’s blessing (in this case, 2008) is interrupted by crosses and the letters C, M and B. These letters bring to mind both the traditional names of the three Magi- Caspar, Melchior and Belthazar- and the request that we are making- “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” Christ bless this dwelling.

Some people might have trouble with the likely fictitious names (dating from the 9th century), but I believe this is part of the heritage that belong to my children. Every people has their own legends and yarns. Think of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree. Whether his axe ever hit wood isn’t the point of telling the tale. It’s simply a story every American child should know; and its knowing helps form them into Americans. The same is true of our kingdom’s stories.

The blessing of homes used to be commonplace and more elaborate. I’ve read of Epiphany being called a smoke night because incense was carried through the house and every room blessed. Seems like a cool idea. We might try it this year. I think the kids would remember me going through the house with a smoking shovel of incense. Here is a liturgy for those who would like to ask for God’s blessing on their home in this explicit way,

Here is a family tradition I’ve recently heard about. I’m sure our children would enjoy it. I’ll post it just as I found it on this site:

“About an hour ago I celebrated the second annual 'placing of three cards' on our front sidewalk.

On the front of the card: A picture of the Magi and 'To you who pass by our house: Please take one—just one'. There's a quarter taped on each card and each is sealed in its own clear zip-locking small plastic bag.

Inside the card: 'There's an old Pennsylvania Dutch custom that on the eve of the new year, three silver coins are placed outside the house where the Magi can find them and cast their blessings as they travel toward Bethlehem seeking the Babe. The blessings of the Magi are peace, love, and health to all who live therein. Please take one of the quarters. It's unlikely that the magi will be coming through Winston-Salem on their way to Bethlehem, and maybe you can spread the blessings of peace, love and health in your life, at home or work or wherever. And by your taking the coin, the Magi will leave their blessing at our house, too'.

I just peeked out the front door. They're all three still there. That's the way it was last year, but when I got up (customarily late) on New Year's morning, one was gone, and by the time I had fixed us a celebratory breakfast and eaten it, the other two had gone. The blessing of the Magi had been spread abroad."

Like I said, this is getting way too long. Let me encourage you to get your bean, cake mix and chalk ready, because the Word was made flesh and we beheld his glory- the glory of the only begotten of the Father!