Where the Light Leads Us
Epiphany is a season of light. We sing about it, pray about it, and see it symbolized in candles and star imagery. But Epiphany is not simply about noticing that God’s light exists. It is about discovering what that light is meant to do in us and through us.
Again and again, Scripture reminds us that God’s light is never given only for private comfort. God’s promise to the servant in Isaiah speaks of being shaped and called not just to restore a small circle of people, but to become a light reaching to the ends of the earth. In the Gospel, John the Baptist points toward Jesus and names him as the one who bears the brokenness of the world, not just the concerns of a select few. Epiphany stretches our vision outward. It invites us to see that God’s work is always larger than our own boundaries.
This matters because it is easy for faith to become small. We can shrink it to what is familiar, comfortable, or manageable. We can treat church as something that exists mainly for those who already belong. Epiphany gently but firmly disrupts that instinct. It reminds us that the Church does not exist simply to preserve itself. We exist because God is actively reaching into the world with healing, mercy, and reconciliation. God is inviting us to participate.
The light revealed in Christ is not harsh or blinding. It is the kind of light that reveals what is already there: the longing for hope, the hidden wounds people carry, the quiet hunger for meaning and belonging. When the first disciples encountered Jesus, they were not handed a detailed plan. They were invited to come and see, to stay, to listen, and to be changed. Only then were they sent to share what they had found. That rhythm still shapes us today. We receive before we reflect. We are loved before we are sent. We belong before we are asked to bear witness.
For us at Trinity Church, this is both comforting and challenging. It is comforting because it reminds us that we do not carry God’s mission alone. God is already at work in our community, long before we show up. We are not responsible for producing light; we are invited to reflect it. Like the moon reflecting the sun, the Church shines not because of its own brilliance but because it remains turned toward Jesus.
It is also challenging because light does not stay hidden. It reveals. It moves outward. It changes how we see the world and how we treat one another. If we take Epiphany seriously, it asks us to look beyond our own needs and ask deeper questions: Where is God’s light needed most right now? Who feels unseen, unheard, or forgotten? How might our words, actions, and shared life make God’s love more visible?
This does not require big gestures. Most of the time, light shows up quietly. It appears in patience when frustration would be easier. It appears in generosity when resources feel tight. It appears in hospitality when it would be simpler to stay within familiar circles. It appears when we choose to listen deeply, forgive generously, and show up consistently for one another and our neighbors.
Paul’s words to the early church echo into our own moment: God is faithful, sustaining the community not because it is perfect, but because it belongs to Christ. That promise is deeply Epiphany-shaped. We are held by grace even as we are sent into the world. We are strengthened not so we can remain comfortable, but so we can remain faithful.
As we continue through this season, perhaps Epiphany can become more than a liturgical moment. Perhaps it can become a spiritual posture. A willingness to keep asking, “Where is God’s light breaking in today?” A readiness to be surprised by where Christ chooses to show up. A quiet courage to let our faith be visible not for our own sake, but for the sake of the world God loves.
Here at Trinity, this means remembering that every person is part of this calling. Not all of us will serve in the same ways. Not all of us will be visible in the same places. But all of us are invited to carry light: into our homes, our workplaces, our friendships, our neighborhoods, and our shared life as a parish.
Epiphany reminds us that God’s light does not end at the church door. It goes with us. It goes ahead of us. And it keeps drawing us outward, not just for ourselves, but for the healing of the world.
Kevin+
