5 JANUARY 2023
Dear Friends of St. Mark's,
As I write this it is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and on Friday we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with a High Mass at 6:15 pm followed by a potluck in the Parish Hall. Perhaps I live more and more in an Episcopal echo chamber, but it seemed as if this year Advent was Advent, and when Christmas arrived, it has lasted for twelve days. Christmas decorations did not come down immediately after December 25, and the Epiphany seems to be gaining greater popularity. Maybe as it is becoming increasingly counter-cultural to follow Jesus Christ, those who do practice the faith are becoming more intentional with the calendar. I also think that the majority of our society, which no longer practices Christianity, has also tired of the commercialism of secular Christmas. Both believers and non-believers are wanting Christmas to have a deeper meaning, whatever such meaning might be.
New Year's Day is an example. Just as Christmas was on a Sunday this year, so was New Year's Day. According to the Christian calendar, January 1 is the Octave of Christmas, the eighth day after the birth of Jesus, when Mary and Joseph officially name Jesus according to the Angel Gabriel's instructions, and following Jewish law the infant boy was circumcised. It is a feast day for Anglicans and Episcopalians, as well as our Roman Catholic and Lutheran friends. Conventional wisdom is that people will not attend church on New Year's Day, as they are too tired from the night prior, and they want to stay home with family and relax. When you consider that fireworks in Hawai'i continue for hours after midnight in some neighborhoods, few will be venturing out early on New Year's Day.
But Christians follow a different set of values, and we saw this last Sunday. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many in church on New Year's Day for the Feast of the Holy Name. It was a joyful mass, and the aloha hour afterwards was an added bonus. Many said they were tired from the fireworks keeping them up all night, and yet that did not stop them from attending worship at church. Secular New Year's celebrations were not going to dampen their practice of the Christian faith. After all, is there a better way to start 2023 than by receiving Christ in the mass?
The Magi have been placed in the Manger at the church, and the final preparations are being completed for the Epiphany mass. There are still more carols to sing as we end Christmastide. On Friday night when we hear St. Matthew's Gospel of the Magi visiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem, we hear how they adore the Christ-Child in a house. Because of this, there is a long tradition of homes being blessed during Epiphany-tide. This is why chalk is blessed at the mass and distributed to the faithful for inscribing a blessing on their doorways. In addition to the visit of the Magi, tomorrow's mass will feature the blessing of chalk for your homes. The instructions for the blessing may be found in the service leaflet.
Blessings to you this Epiphany,
Father Paul Lillie +
Coda: The Traditional Epiphanies
This coming Sunday, January 8, is the First Sunday after the Epiphany, and it is a celebration of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The celebration of the Epiphany has historically been threefold: the Visit of the Magi, the Baptism of Christ, and the Wedding at Cana. When celebrating the Baptism of Christ, it is common to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism and the renewal of baptismal vows. Some churches also have elaborate rituals for the blessing of water. The Wedding at Cana has prominence because it is the first sign that Jesus performs in Saint John's Gospel - another manifestation or epiphany of Jesus Christ for the people.
On the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 15, we will celebrate all three of the traditional epiphanies with a service of Epiphany Lessons and Carols ending with Benediction at 4:00 pm. The choir will sing, and a reception follows the service. Please join us!
Father Paul +
