Epiphany

Epiphany

3 a (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

-Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary

Tis the season to continue being jolly. 

January sixth was the first day of Epiphany.  In many Christian churches, this is the day that Jesus is revealed to the world through the visit of the three wise men and it is a great cause for celebration.  January sixth also happened to be the last day of our summer staff reunion.

The program staff was blessed to be joined and supported by a fellow staff member who also serves as a pastor.  She was asked if she would be willing to hang around for discernment time for the summer staff as well as be willing to lead the group in worship, daily.  She took this task and ran with it and the program staff couldn’t be more thankful.  She focused on Epiphany—the season in the church as well as the day to day ways that God continually reveals himself to people.

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Since the beginning of December, I have been blessed with quite a bit of time off.  I spent most of this time traveling and experiencing new places and people—two things that I absolutely love.  I had a conversation with someone recently and they asked if I would be willing to ever take a “desk job”.  I said I definitely would as long as my desk came with a phone.

In the time that I spent traveling, I had the blessing of meeting people from all places of the world as well as all walks of life. 

Earlier in December, I joined a friend on a cruise.  This was my first time on a traveling ship and I didn’t know what to expect so in the days leading up to our departure, I really depended on him to make me knowledgeable of all that I needed to know while on that adventure.  Once we boarded the ship and finally set sail, I had the opportunity to explore the ship and find opportunities to be social.  My first opportunity came the first night on the ship when we sat down for dinner. 

I had been assigned to a table that was able to seat ten and the table ended up hosting three different parties of people for a total of nine of us.  We each came from a different place and we each had a story to tell.  One group was a family from Houston.  It was a group of four but they were representing three generations of their family.  There was a group of three from Kansas City who were retired and enjoying their time away from the hustle and bustle of their former work.  And, my friend and I completed the group—two, twenty-somethings looking to strengthen a friendship.

Each night we sat together and recapped our happenings from the day and each night we continued to grow and strengthen relationships with one another—strangers.  There was a night toward the end of the trip that the family from Houston did not join us and we spent at least fifteen minutes wondering if they were okay, if their day had been pleasant, and if they would be joining us for the rest of the week.  We did find out later that the youngest member of their family (3 yrs old) had too exciting of a day and had gone to bed much earlier that evening.  But, it was in that fifteen minutes that I realized that our relationships had grown so much to wonder and concern ourselves with the well being of people we had met only days earlier.  It was also later that evening that I had an opportunity to hang out with the Kansas City group outside of our regularly scheduled dinner time.  They shared the joys of the Midwest with me and were excited to hear that I would be visiting Kansas in the following weeks.

I got to see some remarkable places and experience things that I had never done before, i.e. holding a lion cub, but the things that I took away most from that trip were the relationships that were formed in a seven day period of time.  It took me back to the days of when I was away for a week at camp and formed relationships with people that I still keep near and dear to my heart.

Weeks later, I got to go home to Bay City and spend time with my family.  It was the first time I had been home in almost a year and it was actually hard to be there.  This was the first Christmas that my brother wasn’t a part of our family gathering.  It hurt and it was weird to be there without him.  As we have gotten older, our relationship has grown and there is a great love and appreciation for one another, so to not have him there was a struggle for all of us. 

And, about a week after that, I had my first opportunity to visit the state of Kansas.  Since September, I had heard all the joys and wonders of the heartland and I was looking forward to experiencing it myself.  Upon my arrival to the state, I made a stop in Wichita for lunch and a break from driving.  I found a Subway, ordered a sandwich and sat down at a table alone.  About two bites into my sandwich and with my mouth full, I was approached by two young boys about the age of ten.  They both looked at each other and then back at me and in unison said, “You’re beautiful.”  And, then as quickly as they came, they walked away.  I barely had a chance to swallow my food and squeak out a “thank you” before I realized what had just happened.

One sandwich, a wonderful compliment, and about an hour later, I arrived at my destination.  I had the opportunity to experience the flint hills of Kansas and see some of the state’s true beauty—land and relationships.  In the short time that I was there, I was greeted with a stranger’s compliment, open arms from a family, laughter and smiles from friends that had only heard about me, wags and kisses from a few camp pups, and some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.  It is really hard to explain how at home I felt in a place that I had never previously been to.  I can only attribute that feeling to the relationships and friendships that were introduced and strengthened while I was there. 

When I returned to camp and had the opportunity to join in with the worship times, the past month played over and over in my head as we talked about epiphany and how God continues to reveal himself to us daily.  It was in an epiphany or “ah ha” moment that I realized that God continually shows himself to me through the relationships I have with people.  It’s through the love that we share that I see and feel his presence.  As a sinful being, I am not capable of loving those around me with as much vigor as I do without the presence of God.

I am thankful daily that I live the life that I do.  I pray that I can continue to see God on cruise vacations, family gatherings, and expeditions to new places.  Tis the season to continue being jolly!