After listening to the King, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (Matthew 2:9-10, ESV)
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
a partridge in a pear tree.
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” populates the airwaves throughout the Christmas season. In case you forgot the lyrics, here are the other eleven: two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, twelve drummers drumming.
The rhythmic melody allures even a non-singer to join in the delightful tune. You might even be intrigued by the background of the lyrics.
The four weeks of preparation or anticipation leading up to Christmas day is called Advent. For decades, I believed “The Twelve Days of Christmas” were pre-Christmas day. However, the twelve days are between when Jesus was born (December 25) and before The Epiphany (January 6).
Not all Christian traditions give attention to these twelve days, but I believe we learn hidden gems in the Scripture by considering the idea of epiphany.
Epiphany means appearance, manifestation, or a moment of sudden and great spiritual insight. The Epiphany as a Christian holiday is recognized in different ways depending on where you live.
Western Christianity recognizes it as Jesus’ birth being manifested to the Gentiles when the three wise men came from the East. Eastern Christianity observes Jesus’ baptism.
If we zoom out over the Christmas story, we find several epiphanies. The angel Gabriel visited Mary, telling her God is with her and she will bear a son (Luke 1:31). Joseph had a dream from an angel (Matthew 1:20). The wise men were led by a bright star (Matthew 2:2). An angel appeared to the shepherds in the darkness of the fields (Luke 2:8). One we neglect is Simeon, who by the Holy Spirit knew he would see the Lord’s Christ before death (Luke 2:26).
Can you imagine the multitude of emotions experienced by each one of these people? Fear, awe, wonder, confusion, delight, and more.
God is still in the business of offering epiphanies if we keep our eyes, ears, and hearts expectant and open. God’s epiphanies are surprise gifts of spiritual lessons that draw us into a closer and richer relationship with God.
When an epiphany is encountered, we should always evaluate the experience against God’s Word to ensure it’s genuine, followed by responding with gratitude for the surprise encounter with God.
As we begin a new year, may we be on the lookout for God to surprise us with fresh epiphanies as defined by author Whitney Hopler, “Sudden moments of insight that inspire us with awe and strengthen our faith (Crosswalk.com).”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example of epiphanies in the Christmas Story. Keep the eyes of my heart open to your surprises in 2024.