Christ Made Known

As he jumps up from catching an incredible pass in the end zone, he points his finger upward and then crosses himself before doing a celebratory dance.

She can’t believe she won. Gripping the award and shaking, she begins her acceptance speech, “I want to first thank God, who has truly blessed me.”

Standing in front of his house, the man says, “God was good to us today.” The camera then pans out to reveal that his house is the only one standing after a massive wildfire.

The Church is adorned in candlelight while those gathered sing Silent Night. God feels palpable to her.

All of their family surrounds them as they stand next to the baptismal font. The priest gently pours water over the baby’s forehead and tears of joy run down the faces of the parents as they feel enveloped in God’s love.

When are you most aware of God’s presence in your life? Do you feel God’s presence when something good happens in your life? Do you feel God’s presence when you are in a Church or a religious setting?

As the Church begins the Epiphany season, a time when our sacred stories invite us to experience how Jesus was manifest, or made known, as the Christ, it’s a good time for us to reflect on those people, places, and experiences where God, in Christ, is made known to us. There are circumstances where we either seek or are scripted to assume the Holy. The Epiphany season invites us to open ourselves to the presence of Christ in all persons, all encounters, in all of God’s creation.

Over the next few weeks and more, across ECMN, there will be multiple opportunities to experience Christ being made known. I would invite you to lean fully into your Baptismal Covenant, to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.”