Epiphany Sunday

Today is Epiphany Sunday, the time to celebrate the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus. It's also called the festival of lights (since the wise men followed the star).

The wisemen brought three symbolic gifts to be given to the Christ-babe…

• gold – a symbol of power
• myrrh – a symbol of sorrow
• frankincense – a symbol of worship

The season reminds me that I need to continually give those things back to Jesus. What are the things of my perceived power I need to hand over to Him? What were (are) the things of sorrow from this past year? What acts of worship must I remember to offer Him?

For the past 16 years, Christine and I have celebrated Epiphany by holding what we have called an Epiphany Open House. It's where we invite all the different sectors of our life (family, Christine's work, my work, our boy's school, church, neighbors, etc.) to come together for lots of good food, good drink, and fun. It's surprising how many people end up discovering old friends and acquaintances.

It also allows us to continue to share our journey more intentionally with the different people that God has brought into our lives -- at least the ones who live close enough to drop by!