Epiphany : A Season of Self-Discovery

The Rev. Rob Courtney

Fr. Rob is the rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church & School

We call this current Church season "Epiphany," but technically it's the season after the Epiphany. The Epiphany is on January 6, and it commemorates the arrival of the Magi at the crib of Jesus. The entire season, however, offers different kinds of stories of epiphanies that are related to the Magi's experience. They are all stories of people coming to understand who Jesus is more clearly. 

While it may be a season about discovering Jesus' identity, it also naturally leads us to places that help us understand ourselves better. Just as Jesus hears God declare, "You are my Son, the beloved. In you I am well-pleased" at his baptism, those same words are spoken to each of us as we are united with Christ in Baptism. That means we must begin to look at ourselves as beloved children of God who have inherent worth and dignity. Just as Jesus transforms water into wine at the wedding in Cana, so does he transform us as we deepen our relationship with him. Just as Jesus declares his mission in his first sermon at the synagogue in Nazareth, we share in that mission with him as members of his Body. Paul our patron famously uses that image of the Body to show how each of us is uniquely equipped and gifted to carry out our mission and fulfill our purpose in life. All of this tells us something about who Jesus is, and it also offers us an opportunity to understand our purpose in life, and offers each of our individual lives deeper meaning. 

If you haven't had a chance to hear our reflections on these "epiphanies," take some time to listen. How do these stories deepen your own self-understanding? Entries in the series so far include:

• Part I, 1.9.2022: "What Defines You?"
• Part II, 1.16.2022: "What Are Your Gifts?"
• Part III, 1.23.2022: "What is Your Purpose?"
• Part IV, 1.30.2022: "How Are You Called to Change?"
• Part V, 2.6.2022: "Is the Good News Personal?"