Epiphany immediately follows the Christmas season, concluding twelve days of celebration and feasting, and like the bright star in the night that it commemorates, it offers guidance for the seasons to come. While many Christian traditions simply mark Epiphany on its feast day of January 6 and return to Ordinary Time until the season of Lent, COTA celebrates it as an entire season lasting from the feast of Epiphany until Ash Wednesday.

Rooted in the Greek word epiphaneia, epiphany means “a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being” or “a moment of sudden revelation or insight.” In the Christian Church, Epiphany marks the manifestation of Christ to the world, particularly through the visitation of the Magi to the Christ child—a journey made by scholars of astronomy and seekers of the Sacred who followed a radiant star in the heavens in search of Truth. 

LITURGICAL COLOR

Following the Christmas season, with liturgical colors of gold or white, the liturgical color of Epiphany is white as well.

THEMES

With themes of making journeys, trusting intuition, and following Divine guidance, Epiphany serves as an invitation to name the manifestations of God in our everyday lives and calls us to pay attention to the signs so that we, like the Magi, might also become seekers of the Sacred.

PRACTICES  

Occurring just days into the new year, Epiphany presents us with an opportunity to focus on our hopes and desires for the year ahead as we consider where God is guiding us, just like the star of Bethlehem guided the Magi long ago. Many families participate in the ritual of “chalking the door,” writing the letters C + M + B at the top of the door or directly on the doorframe, surrounded by the year (such as “20 + C + M + B + 23”) as a way to bless their home for the coming year. The letters stand for the traditional names of the Magi—Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar—as well as Christus Mansionem Benedicat, Latin for “May Christ bless this dwelling.” As it’s a common time for making resolutions, you could also use this as an opportunity for each family member to choose a word for the year, such as “love,” “peace,” or “hope” and write each word on a star to serve as a “guiding light” for the year ahead.

Questions or comments? Contact Lacy Clark Ellman, our Kids and Families Ministry Coordinator, at kids@apostleschurch.org.