I have always found it helpful to ground the present by understanding what is currently happening and what I can expect to happen in the future. As I look at what is happening at Epiphany, I think of a planning model the compares planning with the church’s worship calendar. Let me explain.
The church year begins with Advent. Advent is a time when we prepare for the second coming of Jesus. In recent history, the Advent season included preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on earth. In this planning model, Advent is the time of new ideas or the defining of a preferred future that God has in mind for us. For Epiphany, Advent was defining the attributes our congregation wanted in a new senior pastor. The Advent season also included the search for a new senior pastor. Advent is a time to look to the future.
Christmas follows Advent. In the worship calendar, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus on earth some 2,000 years ago. It is a time when the hope of God’s intervention into human history through a savior was realized. For Epiphany, Christmas was the call to Pastor Woodward and his acceptance of that call. From my observations, the disciples at Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are giddy about the call and the acceptance of that call. The giddiness of both is a sign of a healthy congregation and the new senior pastor. Each has received God’s gift of intervention in their lives.
Epiphany follows Christmas. Epiphany is the time when the gift of Christmas (Jesus) is shared with the world. It is the time when we joyfully tell the world what God has done. It is the time when we invite the world to come and see how much God loves us. For our congregation, the Epiphany season is upon us. The disciples at Epiphany are telling their friends about the new senior pastor. We are inviting others to come and see. We are also sprucing up the building. We are making sure everything is in order for the arrival of a new chapter in our life as God’s people. As we experience the next two to three months, remember we are in Epiphany. Celebrate and enjoy.
Lent follows Epiphany. Lent is a time of evaluation. It is a time to make adjustments. Lent for Epiphany will be when Pastor Woodward realizes and deals with the ways that Epiphany has traditionally celebrated worship, community life, and pastoral care and when Epiphany realizes that Pastor Woodward has his own particular views on these matters. Discussions on how we worship and deliver ministry together will be the order of the day. Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are both very healthy in their spiritual lives; therefore, the working through Lent will produce a new and a vital community and ministries.
Easter follows Lent. Easter is the longest season of the year. Easter brings forth all that proceeded it. It is a new creation, a new life together. It is accepting God’s love and doing God’s will. We all pray, I am sure, that Epiphany’s Easter will be a very long one.
I hope all of this helps in grounding Epiphany in what has happened over the last 19 months and what is yet to come.
By the way, the same worship calendar, and the explanations above, work in our individual lives, our life with our family, friends, and colleagues.
Pastor Pete
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