Vintage Lampshades on New Lamp Stands
I don't know if you've heard, but in the postmodern church world, old is the new new.
Our vocabulary is expanding. We've learned words like Lent, Advent, the Daily Office, and Liturgy. Words the rest of the church world find common place, we find novel.
Some of this is just trendiness--like vintage lampshades. As we become more postmodern we have a tendency to take religious relics and re-appropriate them to express our own religious flare. Lent or Advent become nothing more than antiques in our hipster living rooms. They connect us to something ancient while propelling us further towards an individualized spiritual tradition.
In most cases, it's harmless. If anything, the choice to include some of the older church traditions into one's own spiritual life or church can add depth to worship. The problem I typically have with this "old is the new new" mentality is that we don't take it far enough. We will include ancient liturgy so that we can conform it to us. The purpose of things like Lent, Advent, and other elements of the liturgical calendar is to conform us to Christ and to each other.
Yesterday, another one of those Ancient words came about. Epiphany is typically celebrated on January 6th to commemorate God becoming man in Jesus. To Western Christians, its focus is on the visitation of the Magi (who weren't at the original nativity) and thus the good news being brought to the Gentiles. To Eastern Christians, Epiphany is about the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan. Either way, Epiphany is about Jesus becoming a man and bringing his good news to everyone.
To be honest, this is a new term for me. I grew up in a non-denominational church and am currently the worship pastor of one. The traditional church calendar never played a significant role in my life. But since this is the new trend (and everyone knows I want to be trendy), I wanted to take a look at Epiphany and how it could help conform us more to Christ.
What does Epiphany mean for the Church?
In typical blogging fashion, here are five spiritual benefits to involving Epiphany into our church tradition and how it can help us conform more to Christ.
1. Science Serves Christ - There is a myth posited by both sides that science and religion are at irreconcilable odds. However, the story of the Magi communicates something altogether different. It tells us that a proper understanding of both expresses a harmony leading to worship. It wasn't merely religious prophets that pointed to Christ, but an actual star. Scientific events began countless years prior to Christ's arrival attested to his birth. In an age where Science and Religion are at war, this is incredibly significant for the church to reflect upon.
2. God Makes Himself Findable - The Magi traveled hundreds of miles to search for a single poor child born in an obscure Judean town, and they found him! For many of us, we might think God cannot be found in this mess of sin we live in, that the true Savior could never be deciphered in the midst of all our idols. But he can be found. And if you seek him, he will be found.
3. Anyone Can Find God - The church is so far removed from her Judaic roots that we forget how wonderful it is that Gentiles can be included in God's family. Although Gentiles could become a part of Israel and God's chosen, it was very rare. Through Christ all can come. There is neither Jew nor Greek, only Christ. We who were not a people became His people by means of his mercy and grace. Epiphany reminds the Church of this incredible truth.
4. God Became One Of Us - It always puzzled me why Jesus was baptized. The one person in the world who didn't need it, who had nothing to repent and turn from, got baptized. What's the catch? I don't believe he did it for himself. Jesus was baptized to remind us that, although He was God, He was man as well. He wanted to not only be our Savior, but our example. If He was a distant God, we would have no hope of emulating Him and becoming like Him, but he is not distant. God became one of us, and now we can be conformed to his image.
5. God Intentionally Entered Our Mess - When Jesus was baptized, it was no accident. Jesus planned to begin his three year ministry of preaching good news to the poor, healing the blind, and ultimately setting the captives free through the cross and resurrection. He did it all on purpose. Just as God purposed the stars to begin moving hundreds of thousands of years before Christ was born to point the Magi to Him, he also purposed his life and death to save us and conquer the evil that enslaved us. Epiphany reminds us that God came near and intentionally walked straight into the mess we've made.
As we reflect on Epiphany, let's not see these things as vintage lampshades we place on our new religious lamp stands. Let the history of the church form us and draw us closer to the wonderful love of God made manifest in His son, Jesus Christ.