Shining in the Open

Beloved in Christ,

The feast of the Epiphany, which we will celebrate this weekend, reminds us that the light of God’s love, and the good news of Jesus, cannot be contained, limited, boxed in, or bottled up. This light and this love are for all people, in all places, all the time. 

To be an Epiphany people is to know that the way of Jesus is not some private affair for us to possess and keep to ourselves. It is a light God longs to reveal to the whole world. It shines in the open, in the public square, affirming over and over, in the face of the world’s hateful violence, that God’s love is the most powerful force for healing in the universe. In the face of the lie that difference defines value, Epiphany tells the truth that everyone is in, everyone matters, everyone is loved endlessly and unrelentingly.

To be an Epiphany people is to know that the church doesn’t exist for itself. It doesn’t exist to satisfy our own individual needs and preferences. It exists always and only to be an agent of God’s light shining in the world. 

Beloved, the light of God’s love breaks through, bursts out, overpowers, and floods every dry, cavernous valley with new life. You and I have been invited to live in that light, to give our lives to reflecting its brightness with every moment, every breath, every encounter. In the words of the ancient Epiphany proclamation, “the glory of the Lord has shown upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.” 

Grace and Peace,

The Right Reverend Craig Loya