Homily - The Epiphany of the Lord 6th January 2024

Homily
The Epiphany of the Lord
6th January 2024
What is the Epiphany? We know biblically three wise men came from the east to pay homage to the Saviour. Epiphany is described by some as the manifestation of God appearing as the baby Jesus, and the world being made aware of this. When Herod heard the news, he was worried that his kingdom was about to be usurped. Fear drove him to persecute the children of Bethlehem when the wise men failed to return to him with details of his location. In Matthew’s Gospel, the wise men are warned in a dream not to return to Herod but to go home a different route.
Paul tells the Ephesians he has been sent to bring the Good News to the pagans, because they also inherit the promise given to the Jews. All of humanity is given the same promise as we are parts of the same body. Paul initially persecuted Christianity, wrongly believing that only the Jews had been chosen to be saved. The Glory of God though rising in Jerusalem, is calling to all of us.
Jesus wants to be our saviour and is calling us to follow him, just as he did the disciples. Each of the twelve were in the middle of their regular day, some fishing, others collecting taxes and so on. But once they heard the message, their world changed. The disciples knew they had to drop everything and follow Jesus.
We all have a story of how Jesus called us. This can happen many times. Samuel, as a boy, heard someone call. He ran to Eli and shouted, “Here I am”. Initially, the boy Samuel thought it was Eli, but the old man realised it was God calling the child.
Is God calling you? Many of us were brought into Christianity by our parents, who followed the traditions of their church. They ensured their children were baptised as babies. Later, in school, the children were encouraged to go to confession, receive communion, and then later to be confirmed.
My parents did the same for me. However, going to church was disrupted as we moved to different villages. At the age of nine, we moved to Yardley Hastings, in Northamptonshire. I went to a Church of England Primary School and enjoyed the assemblies because of the stories about Jesus. My sister and I started to attend Sunday School. After two years we began to prepare for Confirmation. I had lots of questions, and worried about forgetting the creed. As I walked towards the bishop, my mind was dizzy with concerns. Then within me, I sensed someone say, “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay next time”. I thought this strange as you only get confirmed once.
In my twenties, I was confirmed a second time, a year after being accepted into the Catholic Church.
After moving to Dromintee, and living there for a few years, work suddenly became scarce. About twenty years ago, I commuted to Birmingham to teach media production at a university. My sister and her friend heard about an Alpha Course being run near their home. They were nervous about going, so I said I would join them. Those attending were from various denominations and none. Nothing was forced on anyone, the sessions were basically opportunities for everyone to discuss in a safe place what they knew about Christianity, if at all. The format was simple, we were greeted at the hall door, given a meal and had a chat with those who were there. Once the meal was over, we watched a video talk, which lasted around twenty minutes, and then we had time for a discussion.
Everyone was encouraged to contribute and have their say. There was no wrong or right answer, but the questions were encouraged to open discussion. This was a chance to explore Christianity, from our perspectives. These were not lectures but discussions facilitated by the leader.
The first week posed the question “Is there more to life than this?” I’m sure at times all of us have asked this question. It is part of our search for meaning in life. The second week we were asked, “who is Jesus?” This was a good discussion because many of us had different ideas about Jesus. We all learnt something new.
Over the past two decades, I have attended seven Alpha Courses, and have discovered something new in each one. Jesus is calling me again but this time to run a course. It’s a bit nerve-wracking as it is hard to know what to expect. Then again, like at my first confirmation, I am being told not to worry. It’s not up to me, and that’s the exciting thing.
Our first session will be on Thursday 15th February 2024, in the Parish Hall in Jonesborough, at 7.30pm. If you would like to explore what Christianity is about, why not join me on this initial eleven-week journey. Just come along to the first night to see what happens. If you don’t want to go on your own, bring a friend. Your experience is just as meaningful as everyone else’s, and we’d love to hear what you have to say.

[@AnnetteHughes-kh1st]

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