Epiphany

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Epiphany’ as in… here’s something illuminating!

The season of Epiphany has finally arrived! The season of light and illumination is upon us. With Advent and Christmas behind us, we now turn to hope-filled days of light, life, and more life!

For the past six weeks, scores of people around the country, even well beyond, have been using the Welcome the Seasons devotional resource. I’ve heard from so many about the benefits of sitting in quiet solitude each day, allowing the images, scriptures, reflections, and conversation starters to guide the way.

Once again, we’ve learned that the rhythms of daily meditation – sitting for some moments each day, or at least frequently, have been deeply enriching.

For centuries, communities of faith around the world have understood the benefits of making time to settle into these kinds of rhythms. But let’s be honest: we have a knack for sabotaging ourselves by creating fuller, busier, more frantic schedules than we did the last time we promised never to do that again. And then we lament the fact that we’re completely overwhelmed. Yet, having a few moments of stillness each day to be illuminated, to have an actual epiphany, to consider the things that bring life and more life sets a groove, creates a habit that helps us find healthy margins for thriving.

As Epiphany dawns upon us, how will you continue to practice the essential rhythms that have created space in your life through the Advent and Christmas seasons?

Here are a few suggestions:

• The Five-Day Devotional created by the Prince of Peace pastoral team
• Use the Headspace or Calm apps to practice daily meditation
• Read one chapter of the book of Proverbs each day for a month
• A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People. You can find this rich resource at Upper Room Books

What’s more important than “what” you do is “that” you decide to actually do something. We don’t create space to fill it back up again. Instead, we make space for illumination. We’re seeking a quiet moment for Spirit to speak to us. Now that’s an epiphany!

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.