The Days Right After The Epiphany

We find ourselves in an odd stretch this week.  Epiphany fell on Sunday last.  So, there is a full week between the Epiphany observance proper and the unofficial commencement of The Season After The Epiphany.  The first Sunday after the Epiphany marks The Baptism of the Lord.  The season itself moves along – in this instance for eight weeks – before it concludes with The Transfiguration of the Lord. 

The season itself carries an emphasis on revelation and mission.   The gospel readings from the New Revised Common Lectionary (NRCL) during this stretch are all narratives in which Jesus reveals who he is to various audiences in a variety of ways.  They carry on the theme that began with the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, as that act is symbolized in the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2.

But, these days between the feasts of Epiphany and Baptism are a kind of No Man’s Land liturgically.  We are moving toward the observance of the first of the two theophanies that bookend the season.  But, we are not quite there yet.  Some older calendars marked Epiphanytide.  Most of the church now views this term as archaic.

The Daily Office Lectionary in The Book of Common Prayer marks this week with readings that tell of Jesus at the wedding in Cana, of a pair of healings, two more miracles (feeding of the multitude and walking on water) before finishing out the week with the story of the woman apprehended in adultery and a saying on discipleship.  Needless to say these readings all appear in John’s gospel. 

I would never say that any scripture portion was irrelevant.  But in these selections, there is a sense of marking time while waiting for something else.  I don’t offer an alternative.  I simply make the observation that this time has the feeling of pausing before things are revved up again.  Maybe that’s okay.  It could well be intentional.  It could be the case that the church (or the NRCL) sees the necessity for preventing things from getting too heavy while The Epiphany finishes doing its work on us.  It is the time between the ticks of a clock, the moment between the beats of a heart.  Perhaps the pause will do us good.