Epiphany: Take Notice
Take notice. That’s the moment Epiphany is birthed. Epiphany, the Season of Revelation, traces back to the Wise Ones from the East who noticed a star which they followed to worship the newborn child. The star led them as a guiding point of light. Then, a dream of the Wise Ones revealed that darkness offers it own light, perhaps a deeper light as they were warned and guided. Following stars and dreams, prophecies were fulfilled through their sacred travels.
Epiphany invites us, like the Wise Ones, to take notice. What’s going on around us? What’s going on inside us? What revelations wait in the depth of beautiful darkness?
Take notice. Then be in awe of what might be revealed. For Tomoko Niwa, a video that seemed ordinary at first glance, revealed much more: “There’s a video I like of someone doing laundry in North Africa’s Atlas Mountains. It’s just a man doing the wash on the bank. There’s nothing traditional or artistic about it, but the way he treads on the clothes looks like he’s dancing. There’s no sound, but you almost hear the sound of the clothes splashing in the water. It’s like witnessing the exact birthing moment of song and dance.”
Epiphany invites us to take notice in a world where too many people feel invisible. As I write this on November 20, the global Transgender Day of Remembrance, I think of my Transgender siblings who face the threat of being erased by heartless public policies around the world that refuse to acknowledge the spectrum of gender diversity.
In a careless world, turning in on itself in fear and confusion, there must be global communities like Metropolitan Community Churches that aspire to take notice and act for human good, even when unpopular and inconvenient. “God invites us to notice people, care for people, and to advocate for a system that does not leave anyone behind” (David Lose).
As we take notice, we will experience life in new ways. Like the Wise Ones, we may embark on unpredictable yet holy travels that transform ourselves and those around us. Or, perhaps we will witness a birth of song and dance that previously we would have missed.
By Faith,
Rev. Elder Dwayne
