Epiphany, Jan. 6, marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas and is traditionally the day when the Wise Men arrived to visit the infant Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
“The coming of Christ is a symbol that the waiting of Advent is over, that something wonderful has happened and is to be celebrated with Christmas. Epiphany marks the end of the season with the recognition that wisdom is made manifest in the world,” said the Rev. Canon Chris Harwood-Jones of All Saints Anglican Church.
“All I can do is speak on behalf of my particular branch of the Christian faith. There are various interpretations. In my understanding, and one of the things I like about the Epiphany story, is that it is an interfaith story. The Wise Men were certainly not Christians and they were not Jews. We do not know their faith tradition, but they had the wisdom to find Christ, to recognize the importance of his birth as part of the wisdom of the universe revealed. This should teach us to see the presence of God in all religions and seek God’s presence in people of all faiths. The Wise Men understood the work of God in another religious tradition but they went back to their own traditions, they did not stay to become disciples.”
For Harwood-Jones, the gifts of the Magi, the Wise Men, symbolize who Jesus is. The gold is a gift for a king, the frankincense is for a high priest, and myrrh for death.
“For me, Jesus is a manifestation of the word of God, the logos of Greek philosophy. The Greek philosophy is timeless, with history and external reality, while God’s thought process, the logos, created the universe. The Jewish tradition is that God has a purpose working out in reality with a historical messiah. These views came together in Christianity,” he said.
“In my view, the logos is fully manifested in Jesus Christ. The logos could be manifested 100 per cent in other people, faiths and cultures in other ways. This is not a modern view. It’s an ancient view. What is good is modern tolerance for religious freedom, which opens a different conversation space where we can learn and think about our similarities and differences. We are all struggling for what is true and good and beautiful.”
He doesn’t like to see people wasting time trying to prove that their religion is the best or the only one.
“Maybe God spoke other truths to other faiths, traditions and cultures. It’s up to us to keep listening. Epiphany symbolizes the coming of wisdom, as well as wisdom from another tradition. We use the word to mean insight or wisdom.”
In the Christian calendar, Epiphany also symbolizes the spiritual journey, starting in darkness, then the birth of Christ bringing light and wisdom. But there is still a dark time in the year to go, through the time of Lent and then the rebirth of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
“A new person arises transformed. You can’t imagine how much better the new life is than the old life. What had seemed like loss is actually gain. Human beings are always seeking God and we all ask the same questions about God’s work and the universe. It does matter how you live your life, how you relate to other people. People should seek God’s presence everywhere and look for God’s wisdom within their own spiritual traditions. We all need something beyond this world. People around the world are crying out for moral behaviour at all levels and for good government.”
All Saints Anglican Church in Vernon celebrates Epiphany today with a children’s party at 4 p.m., a pot luck supper at 5 p.m. and a choral service at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Harwood-Jones is a member of the Interfaith Bridging project launched this fall by Vernon and District Immigrant Services.
“It is nice to get out of my own little pond and meet people of different faith traditions and getting to know them. We can learn from the wisdom of others.”
