Christ appears to the gentiles of the world in the form of three Magi who arrive from afar and take the good news back to the lands from which they came, where there were no Hebrew people.  Thus Epiphany, which means "revealing" or "showing forth," proclaims Jesus as Savior of the whole world and prepares for the proclamation that the church is the new people of God.

However, the season of Epiphany means much more than just the Magi.  Epiphany is also about the manifestation of Christ in the sense of revealing Jesus' true nature.  Thus the focus on the declaration made at Jesus' baptism, Jesus reading and interpreting the prophecy of Isaiah, and the other gospel lessons we hear during the season.  All will help us understand Jesus' true nature -- and they will come together as Epiphany ends with the Feast of the Transfiguration.

The question for us during this season is how we can respond to the revelation and "show forth" Christ's nature ... how we can let our light shine.

Liturgical Notes for Epiphany
by Chris Creed

Changes in our worship come with Epiphany:

1.  The liturgical color is white through the first Sunday after Epiphany.  Thereafter it is green until the Feast of the Transfiguration when it is again white.

2.  The Gloria returns!

3.  Eucharistic Prayer B, with its focus on the incarnation, is especially appropriate throughout the Christmas Cycle, so we will continue to use it until Lent.