Blessed Epiphanytide, y’all.

I’m grateful for my sanctification journey’s return to this website. God’s provision during Advent was spectacular, and the guidance at Christmas was marvelous. I approached Advent with what I thought was a pretty decent idea for my explorations in 2023, but God had another idea. The Idea, now, is this: I go with God, because He is with me. You can revisit the whole Advent reflection – here.

Then, Christmas brought clarification through meditation on the Mystery of the Incarnation. That Mystery revealed God’s perpetual presence with me through God’s birth as Jesus. With the even better news being this: God is with you too. Such a revelation clarified The Idea through a demonstration of your sanctification journey and mine being derived from God’s presence, so you and I can only go with God on account of Him being with us. Check out the Christmas reflection – here.

Now, I stand at the start of Epiphanytide. With enthusiasm, I anticipate God’s blessings on my sanctification journey into this next season, and I pray God uses my reflection to impact your journey. 

Before I take my first steps into Epiphanytide, I’m going to pause in order to place myself intentionally in God’s presence; I invite you to do the same. 

About Epiphanytide

Now, I feel bad for Epiphanytide. It is wedged between Christmas and Lent, so too often, I perceive Epiphanytide as relegated either to the aftermath of Christmas or the prelude to Lent. I rush through Advent planning for Christmas, and the Christmas season passes with the completion of a checklist. Then, I need Epiphanytide to catch my breath. Or, I become distracted with plans for my Lenten fast and miss Epiphanytide that way. 

Also, confusion about Epiphanytide appears from The Church. I found, at least, three names for this season from the uninspiring “Sundays after Epiphany” to the repetitive “Ordinary Time I.” Since none of those grabbed my attention, I chose Epiphanytide. That name caught my attention a bit. That confusion implies a lack for respect for Epiphanytide even from a community perspective.

If I try to move on from those disappointments, I find no greater certainty for the primary celebration of Epiphanytide. Historically, Epiphany can refer to one of two events: the Arrival of the Wise Men or the Baptism of our Lord. Almost seventeen hundred years ago, divisions arose after the Council of Nicaea, and those disagreements resulted in the separation between East and West. (What is now the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.) The West focused on the Wise Men while the East took the Baptism. Later in the 1500s, divisions again struck the Church again only to cement the either\or around these two big events. 

Yet, a defiant unity arises from a look at these two moments in Jesus’ life. First, the Wise Men are led by the Spirit from their encounter by a different route, and Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert from His Baptism. Thus, whether I choose to celebrate the Wise Men as revelation to the Gentiles or the Baptism as further revelation of Jesus, or both – the celebration must involve an acknowledgement for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as everyone goes with God. 

(Side Note: Also. check this out: Advent focused on The Father’s promises, while Christmas involved the revelation of the Son, and now the Holy Spirit is celebrated in Epiphanytide. Three seasons, three Persons of the Trinity. = Pretty cool, right?)

Well, now – if that’s not ‘convenient.’ Here, I’ve got The Idea about going with God because He’s with me. Christmas clarified the “God with me” part, and Epiphanytide brings me into a season celebrating two events where folks go with God. 

Yet, the Bible only tells us that the Wise Men and Jesus went with God. I can only wonder, then: What does “going with God” look like? How do I go with God on my sanctification journey?

Faithful Connection 

As I search for an answer, I’m taken all the way back for my Epiphanytide reflection. In Genesis 3:8, I read of God who walks in the Garden. Sure, there’s a lot going on in Genesis Chapter 3; I’ll grant you that. But, stay with me for now on my sanctification journey. 

(Side Note: If Genesis is still too distracting go to Matthew 14.)

For now, Adam and Eve are in hiding, because they surrendered to temptation and ate the Forbidden Fruit. Open God’s Word to Genesis 3, and answer me this question: When do Eve and Adam go into hiding? Immediately upon eating the fruit would be one option. After they went to do their own thing of loincloth production would be another. Yet, I see a third. The sound of God walking is so familiar to Adam and Eve that they instantly recognize His presence. 

As I wonder about what “going with God” looks like during Epiphanytide, God’s walking seems like a solid point of consideration. If I am to go with God in a way that derives from His presence with me; then He should set the pace, and His pace looks a lot slower than mine. 

Normally, I think of my pace as a sprint to complete a checklist or a marathon to complete a project on my sanctification journey. In other words, my pace is a run to finish not only in first place but also as quickly and efficiently as possible. At the very least, “rapidly” summarizes my general approach to the pace of my sanctification journey.  

However, Epiphanytide demonstrates to me a slower pace. What comes to your mind as you think about walking with God? My thoughts suggest strolling or even meandering on my sanctification journey. What would my “going with God” look like if I moved from Epiphanytide with a walking pace? 

Picture from Ordinary Life 

Sincerely, I cannot fathom any journey of mine, much less my sanctification journey, as a walk. 

And yet – as my reflection on Epiphanytide meanders on, one recent scene demands my attention. 

Back during Advent, my family and I took a trip to Bass Pro Shop with our Gigi for “Pictures with Santa.” Now, shopping before Christmas is an excellent example of sprinting through a checklist. I try to get in, locate requested items quickly, and get out even more rapidly. Typically then, shopping for Christmas presents looks a lot like the pace that I would set for my sanctification journey. 

Plus, Jessica and I have two girls under the age of five, so any shopping experience qualifies as chaotic even under normal circumstances. Jessica and I must prevent the girls from pulling every item off the shelves while attempting to find whatever it is that we actually intend to purchase. So, we sprint through a shopping list while simultaneously completing a marathon of defense against the girls grabbing things. 

Instead, the Bass Pro Shop trip delivered a completely unique experience – Undoubted, Gigi’s help was instrumental for this experience. Still, Ruth and I hung out in the mock-up of a riverside cave while Jessica and Lynn lingered at the fish tank. As Gigi floated between her granddaughters at will, Jessica and I were able to look at whatever merchandise we wanted. By the end of our visit, we even had a picture of both kids with Santa where Ruth smiles. 

So, what separated the Bass Pro experience from our usual outings? 

Well, we slowed down. We arrived with time to spare before our appointment with Santa. Then, we had no goal for what to buy. We simply walked around and shared what the girls or each other had an interest in for that moment. 

As a result, the question remains for this Epiphanytide reflection: What would my sanctification journey look like if I let God set the same pace? 

Story Time 

Before I let you go with God to answer that question, I’d like to tell a story. When a question on my sanctification journey becomes too big for me, a story is the result. I cannot narrow down all the stuff on my mind, so I move to the realm of fiction. I ask you to consider this time of reading a story as practice for slowing down your own sanctification journey. Take you a moment in God’s presence to read this story and see what He has for you right now. 

Epiphanytide Story: Thelma & Ollie #2.