ST. PAUL'S - CARONDELET
  • HOME
  • Subscribe
  • ABOUT
    • Visitors
    • Parish Leadership
    • Staff
    • History
    • Photos
    • Artwork
  • Sermons
    • Worship >
      • What We Believe
      • GROW >
        • Adult Spirituality
        • Children's Ministry
        • CARE >
          • Sharing Community
        • Blog
  • EVENTS
    • UPCOMING EVENTS
    • Weddings
    • Rent our Space
  • GIVE
    • Pledge for 2021
    • Donate
  • Make a Reservation

Epiphany - Manifestation

1/5/2018

 
​Saturday, January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. At St. Paul’s Church we will celebrate the Epiphany on Sunday, January 7. In the Western Church this feast is celebrated as the manifestation of Jesus to the world represented by the three foreign sages who followed a star to find him. The Greek origin of the word is literally translated “manifestation” and people have used the word “epiphany” to describe a situation or thought that made something else quite clear or an event that helped that person make a life changing decision. Each of us has experienced some sort of “epiphany” at particular stages of our lives; and for the most part epiphanies result in good outcomes that benefit an individual and others. As you reflect on the “epiphanies” in your own life do your recall the “aha” moment when it all became clear to you.

Unfortunately, we often forget those epiphanies and get bogged down in the drudgery of everyday life. As Christians sometimes we allow our expectations for what we think is best for our church and its ministry cover up possible manifestations that await us when we open our hearts and minds to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Oscar Romero was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Salvador in Central America. He was an outspoken critic of the dictatorship of El Salvador for preying of the lives of the poor and helpless. For this he was assassinated in May of 1980 during the celebration of Mass. He experienced many insights (epiphanies) concerning efforts to protect and aid the poor and homeless; however, he is most remembered for an epiphany he experienced about the kingdom and the part the Church plays in its development.

With our minds and hearts aimed at the future of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, I want to share his epiphany with you. 
 
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. We may never see the end results (of our labor), but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.      
 Archbishop Oscar Romero

As we journey forward at St. Paul’s Church, pray that the Holy Spirit helps each of us to remember that we are but workers and it is God who has the master plan.                            
                                                                                             Fr. Al Jewson                                            

Comments are closed.

    About

    Rector's Corner posts written by Pastor Rebecca.

    News and events added by web designer Emily O.

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Baptism
    Discipleship
    Easter
    Events
    Humor
    Lent
    Liturgy
    Ministry
    Neighborhood BBQ
    News
    Prayer
    Rectors Corner
    Stewardship

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from aulbarnes08
  • HOME
  • Subscribe
  • ABOUT
    • Visitors
    • Parish Leadership
    • Staff
    • History
    • Photos
    • Artwork
  • Sermons
    • Worship >
      • What We Believe
      • GROW >
        • Adult Spirituality
        • Children's Ministry
        • CARE >
          • Sharing Community
        • Blog
  • EVENTS
    • UPCOMING EVENTS
    • Weddings
    • Rent our Space
  • GIVE
    • Pledge for 2021
    • Donate
  • Make a Reservation