walking in epiphany truth *
Today's Truth from Scripture
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John [the Baptist]. But John tried to deter Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?' Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented." Matt. 3:13-15Today's devotional thoughts
You may have grown up with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I did, but now, as a matter of convenience, I go to dictionary.com, & here are two definitions I found for "epiphany."- "2. An appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity.
- "3. The reality or essential meaning of something . . . "
Believers throughout most of Western Christianity observe the Epiphany of Our Lord on FRI 1/6--the traditional date when the Wise Men found the infant Jesus after their long trek from the East. That event would certainly quality as an "epiphany," right? And if you have a Gentile ancestry, you can especially relate. [I know that I do.]
Another possible epiphany or two
- If you read the scripture account in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, you'll find that the wise men find the child--not a baby--in a house in Bethlehem.
- Furthermore, nowhere in Matthew 2--or anywhere else in scripture--are we told the number of wise men.
- Tradition seems to settled on three wise men because of the three gifts.
Back to devotional thoughts
How about another "epiphany" event--Jesus the Son of God shows up to be baptized by John the Baptist, the son of earthly parents. John is astonished that he would be chosen to baptize One who is already Righteous. Jesus insists.
And to put an exclamation point on this event, a dove descends from heaven & a voice from heaven proclaims, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased."
Not just any "epiphany" . . . A Holy Trinity Epiphany!
Today's Advent Prayer **
St. 1 "From God the Father, virgin born To us the only Son came down;
By death the font to consecrate, The faithful to regenerate.
St. 4 "Abide with us, O Lord, we pray; The gloom of darkness chase away;
Your work of healing, Lord, begin, And take away the stain of sin.
St. 5 "Lord, once you came to earth's domain And, we believe, shall come again;
Be with us on the battlefield, From every harm your people shield.
St. 6 "To You, Lord, all glory be For this Your blest epiphany;
To God, whom all His hosts adore, And Holy Spirit evermore."
* Adapted from a devotional I wrote for The Headliner, Orphan Grain Train's weekly e-newsletter.
** "From God the Father, Virgin-Born," LW #74.
Pastor Stuart & Debra Freese are the two missionaries that Lois & I have adopted. According to their latest newsletter, they have been "given the 'green light' to start our French language studies."
They are "trying to find the best language school in either Montreal, Quebec or France, because the key word in learning a new language is 'immersion.' The best way to learn is to live in an environment where the language is spoken everywhere all the time."
Debra also writes that they are "also searching for areas where the LCMS has churches where the services are conducted in French. This gives us the perfect opportunity to learn the French that will be needed in our missionary work."
Stuart will be serving as Church Planter/Pastoral Trainer. Debra will be serving as Area Communicator for West Africa. They will be headed to Burkina Faso. Besides language studies, they continue traveling to spread the word about their mission work in Africa & raise support with the help of Gary Thies. Some of you know Gary from his work via Mission Central. [http://missioncentral.us/missioncentral/welcome] I have Stu & Deb's permission to share the following information with you.
In their most recent newsletter, Stuart & Debra shared these prayer needs.
> To learn the French & Moore' languages
> To support their preparation for & mission work in West Africa
> To bless the congregation at St. Martin Lutheran Church
> To bless the people in Burkina Faso, so they are willing to hear & share God's Word.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Missionary News ***
*** This entry has been virtually re-written. Lots of new, updated information.
They are "trying to find the best language school in either Montreal, Quebec or France, because the key word in learning a new language is 'immersion.' The best way to learn is to live in an environment where the language is spoken everywhere all the time."
Debra also writes that they are "also searching for areas where the LCMS has churches where the services are conducted in French. This gives us the perfect opportunity to learn the French that will be needed in our missionary work."
Stuart will be serving as Church Planter/Pastoral Trainer. Debra will be serving as Area Communicator for West Africa. They will be headed to Burkina Faso. Besides language studies, they continue traveling to spread the word about their mission work in Africa & raise support with the help of Gary Thies. Some of you know Gary from his work via Mission Central. [http://missioncentral.us/missioncentral/welcome] I have Stu & Deb's permission to share the following information with you.
In their most recent newsletter, Stuart & Debra shared these prayer needs.
> To learn the French & Moore' languages
> To support their preparation for & mission work in West Africa
> To bless the congregation at St. Martin Lutheran Church
> To bless the people in Burkina Faso, so they are willing to hear & share God's Word.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
- Email: debra.freese@lcmsintl.org
- Email: stuart.freese@lcmsintl.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/FreesesinAfrica/ (NOTE: You don't need a Facebook account to view this page.)
- Website: http://debrafreese.wix.com/freesesinafrica
- Giving Page: http://www.lcms.org/freese
Well done Paul.
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