Happy Epiphany Season!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Pastor Wes, I am a staunch liturgical calendar crusader, and I would never call the season after Christmastide 'Epiphany'! It is Ordinary season, and Epiphany is only the day that begins it!”

Well, my liturgically-appropriate friend, you are technically correct, but—much like Christmas itself—I don’t get to celebrate Epiphany with my congregation because they’re all back home with you! So, as a selfish campus pastor, I… bend the rules a little bit… You see, Epiphany is such an important season and teaching moment for the faith community and one that we already so often skip over!

Epiphany—January 6th in the Western church’s tradition—is the day we tell story the Magi bringing their gifts to the Christ child. It is the day we remember the story of the powers and authorities rejecting Jesus long before he starts his ministry, and the day we hear again that the Messiah, born to bring salvation and liberation to God’s people, was forced to live as an immigrant in Egypt for many years due to being hunted by those same people.

And it is the day we celebrate that, even still, God made Godself known in this world. When only pagans and shepherds sought him out, still God showed up. When the powers and authorities of the world sought to capture and kill him, still God showed up. And when our human brokenness and stubbornness tries still to erect barrier after barrier in the way of the Christ, God shows up still.

My prayer during this season of Epiphany is that God will open our students' eyes to the ways Jesus shows up in their midst. May they—may we!—be wise enough to seek him, even when the world rejects him, and may we celebrate the God who promises to always show up. Amen.