The game show, Concentration, aired years ago. Contestants would match images that were hidden behind tiles. As the images were matched, they would be removed to reveal a puzzle they then had to solve. The gradual uncovering of the puzzle was part of the excitement. but the goal was to solve the puzzle that became visible.
The season of Epiphany is a time of revelation of the identity of Jesus. Through the stories and readings of the season, we see how the identity of Jesus was gradually understood more and more by people around him. Many people didn’t seem to ever catch on. But for others, through events of his life, miracles he performed, the words he spoke, and other ways, they learned who Jesus was. On the other hand, some people were suddenly aware or Jesus, or made surprisingly early statements of faith. The magi, for example, proclaim Jesus as “king of the Jews” when he was still a small child. Much later, Saul – a pharisee and persecutor of the church – suddenly encounters Jesus and become the apostle to the Gentiles. Our message series for this season will explore ways in which the identity of Jesus was revealed to people.
For us, we learn about Jesus in the Bible and from the testimony of other people. We might have gradually come to understand Jesus through a lifetime of experiences. Or we could have had a sudden moment in which we believed in him. Either way, the Spirit has been at work, revealing Jesus to us. People need to know who Jesus is. The church is how God is made known to people who are still unaware of him. And we are the church. As we learn more about Jesus, as his identity is revealed to us – through this season and beyond – let us be at work to reveal him to others through lives of faith and words of witness.