An Epiphany Hymn

                        

   Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to Thee we raise, 
Manifested by the star To the sages from afar; 
 Branch of royal David’s stem In Thy birth at Bethlehem;  
Anthems be to Thee addressed,  God in man made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan’s stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme;  
And at Cana, wedding guest,  In Thy Godhead manifest;  
Manifest in power divine, Changing water into wine; 
Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in man made manifest.

Manifest in making whole Palsied limbs and fainting soul; 
 Manifest in valiant fight, Quelling all the devil’s might;  
Manifest in gracious will, Ever bringing good from ill;  
Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in man made manifest.

Sun and moon shall darkened be, Stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee,  
Christ will then like lightning shine, All will see His glorious sign:  
All will then the trumpet hear;  All will see the Judge appear;  
Thou by all wilt be confessed, God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord, Mirrored in Thy holy Word;  
May we imitate Thee now, And be pure, as pure art Thou; 
That we like to Thee may be At Thy great Epiphany;  
And may praise Thee, ever blest, God in man made manifest.

Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885)

Stanza Four by F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984)

Graphic: Giotto's wedding at Cana

a living water reprint from 2009

Epiphany

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." St. John 1.14

The original 12 days of Christmas, run from Christmas eve to Epiphany Eve.   Commemorated on January 6 in the liturgical cycle Epiphany Eve marks the end of the Christmas season, and  the beginning of the  Season of Epiphany, which ends on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.   Also known as "Three Kings Day" and "Twelfth Day," the Feast of the Epiphany. celebrates the manifestation or revealing  of God in the form of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. 

The word epiphany means “manifestation” or “revelation". For at least fifteen hundred years Christians have celebrated "the showing forth of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. in  many different cultural and denominational traditions.  

In Western Christianity  the   visit of the  Magi or wise men  marks Christ's revealing himself to the gentiles. In Eastern Christianity, Epiphany puts the emphasis on the baptism of Jesus by John, with Christ revealing himself to the world as God's own Son.  Some  traditions  commemorate Jesus' miracle of turning the water in to wine as  signifying the manifestation of Christ's divinity..

 Readings for the feast of the Epiphany: Is 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; and Matthew 2:1-12


For more back ground and history link to Epiphany on the Living water Blog.

Epiphany (6)

The People that in Darkness Sat

A glorious light have seen;
The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been,
In shades of death have been.

To hail you, Sun of Righteous,
The gathering nations come;
They joy as when the reapers bear
Their harvest treasures home,
Their harvest treasures home.

To us the Child of hope is born,
To us the Son is given,
And on his shoulder ever rests
All power in earth and heaven,
All power in earth and heaven.

His name shall be the Prince of Peace,
The Everlasting Lord,
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The God by all adored,
The God by all adored.

His righteous government and power
Shall over all extend;
On judgment and on justice based,
His reign shall have no end,
His reign shall have no end.

Lord Jesus, reign is us, we pray,
And make us yours alone,
Who with the Father ever are
And Holy spirit, one,
And Holy spirit, one.

Feast of the Presentation / Candlemas

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., 'Meeting' in Greek). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord.

The Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church of Ehgland, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a principal Feast celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February.


Graphic: Meeting of the Lord, Orthodox Icon from Belarus

Epiphany (5)

Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day.

The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known",  "to reveal." In Western churches, it commemorates the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King.

In western Christian tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany.

Because of differences in church calendars, mainly between the Eastern Orthodox and the western Catholic and Protestant traditions, both Christmas and Epiphany have been observed at different times in the past.  Today, most of the Eastern Orthodox traditions follow the western church calendar. The exceptions are some Greek Orthodox Churches and related traditions (for example, Russian and Serbian Orthodox) that still follow the older calendar and celebrate Epiphany as the Theophany on January 19th.

                                                 What star is this, with beams so bright,
                                                   More lovely than the noonday light?
                                                 ’Tis sent to announce a newborn King,
                                                      Glad tidings of our God to bring.

                                                    

graphic: Epiphany Times Three by Kathrin Burleson Watercolor, 2007,



see more  

Epiphany (4))

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid;
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.

Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining;
Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall;
Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,
Maker and Monarch and Savior of all!

Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion,
Odors of Edom and offerings divine?
Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
Vainly with gifts would His favor secure;
Richer by far is the heart’s adoration,
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

Words: Re­gi­nald He­ber, 1811. Heber orig­in­al­ly wrote this hymn for the Feast of the Epi­pha­ny. It was first pub­lished in the Christ­ian Ob­serv­er in 1811, but did not ap­pear in hym­nals un­til af­ter He­ber’s death.

graphic: adoration of the Magi 

Epiphany (3)

 

 A Collect for the Epiphany

O God

Who on this day

through the guidance of a star

didst manifest

Thine Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles;

mercifully grant

that we who know Thee now by faith,

may one day be brought

to the contemplation of the beauty of Thy majesty.

Through the same Christ our Lord. 

                                                                  Amen

from a Benidicitne  office for Epiphany

Epiphany is the 12th day of christmas and marks the adoration of the magi

A Hymn for Epiphany (2)

Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to Thee we raise, Manifested by the star To the sages from afar; Branch of royal David’s stem In Thy birth at Bethlehem; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in man made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan’s stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; And at Cana, wedding guest, In Thy Godhead manifest; Manifest in power divine, Changing water into wine; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in man made manifest.

Manifest in making whole Palsied limbs and fainting soul; Manifest in valiant fight, Quelling all the devil’s might; Manifest in gracious will, Ever bringing good from ill; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in man made manifest.

Sun and moon shall darkened be, Stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee, Christ will then like lightning shine, All will see His glorious sign: All will then the trumpet hear; All will see the Judge appear; Thou by all wilt be confessed, God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord, Mirrored in Thy holy Word; May we imitate Thee now, And be pure, as pure art Thou; That we like to Thee may be At Thy great Epiphany; And may praise Thee, ever blest, God in man made manifest.

Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885)

Stanza Four by F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984)

for more on C.Wordsworth http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/authors/christopher_wordsworth.html

Graphic: Giotto's wedding at Cana

Epiphany

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." St. John 1.14

Epiphany: the original 12 days of Christmas.

Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas, and the Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany. For at least fifteen hundred years Christians have celebrated the manifestation, or showing forth of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. The Eternal Word of God made flesh.

The Season of Epiphany begins on the eve of Epiphany, 6 January, and ends on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.

For more back ground and history link to Epiphany on the Living water Blog.

Epiphany (1)

Epiphany
Jan 6th

Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches. The difference between them concerns which historical event is being commemorated. Western Christian observance involves the coming of the Magi. The Eastern Church celebrates the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. In both cases the focus of the feast is the same: the revealing of Christ to the world and the Mystery of the Incarnation.

In the orthodox tradition the Epiphany is usally called the Feast of Theophany, "God shining forth" or "divine manifestation". It is one of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year being third in rank, behind only Pascha (Easter) and Pentecost in importance. Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6

In traditional Christian churches Christmas as well as Easter are celebrated as a period of time, a season of the church year, rather than just a day. The Season of Christmas begins with the First Sunday of Advent ( or the 17th of November as observed by the Celtic and Eastern traditions)marked by expectation and anticipation, and concludes with Epiphany

Epiphany a word of Greek origin means an appearance, a displaying, a showing forth, a making clear, public or obvious. On this day, Christians traditionally celebrate the making known of Jesus to the world, the Incarnation,

readings for epiphany
Psalm 72; Isaiah 60:1-6,9; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

for more information about Epiphany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(Christian)

The picture is the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan by Andrea Del Verrachio assited by Leonardo DiVinci.

http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/baptism.html