Today, January 6th, is Epiphany. (Epiphany may have been celebrated in church last week. It depends on where Sunday falls in relation to January 6th.)
Epiphany remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus and worshiping him.
The word Epiphany literally means manifestation (to show) or to make known or to reveal. It gets this name because the magi, in bringing gifts and worshiping Jesus, revealed to the world that Jesus was a king.
I’ve also seen Epiphany loosely translated as “Ah Ha!”
I like that.
Ah Ha! God is now among us! Let’s go and worship him!
Are words like that on your mind as you prepare to go to church? I remember when my kids were little, the thought was: Come on, we’re going to be late!
What is in your mind when you head for worship? What words do you say to your children?
Ah Ha! God is now among us! Let’s go and worship him!
Would it make a difference if we could teach our children to think that way about going to church? Perhaps instead of saying: “Let’s get ready for church,” we say (with appropriate gusto) “Ah Ha! Jesus is among us. Let’s go and celebrate Jesus!” Or “Ah Ha! We get to go worship God!”
Try it next Sunday and report back on how it goes.
Photo credits:
This image is stored on my Flickr account. It is from my archives—of a church parament I helped create!
Family Faith Companion 
Ah Ha! So happy to discover this lovely site. I’m glad God has led you to share your amazing talents (that we’ve enjoyed in Ann Arbor) with the world wide web. I’m confident it will be a blessing to you and so many out there. Enjoy!
Pam
I’m so glad you started this! These posts are both really interesting questions that I think will spark the minds of young people and parents alike. Parents and children should have more authentic conversations, try to solve more problems together. I think discussing faith is a key component of this process.
And I totally apologize for all the years of lateness to church 🙂
Glad you approve of this concept!
Gosh. I have to be careful what I say about my kids! Especially when I invite them to read it.
Wow, I had no idea that Epiphany could be translated, “Ah-ha.” What an interesting discovery. And I will absolutely have that image in mind now whenever I arrive at church or am moved by something in the service. Thank you for a thoughtful post. I’m glad you started this blog. I hope that many others discover it as well!
Thanks for the encouragement!