The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ - 6 January 2012
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ - 6 January 2011 Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 St. Matthew 2:1-12 Background: The Epiphany Regretfully, we often associate the Epiphany only with the visit of the Magi, or easily associate Christmas Day with the West and Epiphany with the East. In the ancient Church, the Epiphany was a feast that celebrated the manifestation (Epiphany) of Jesus to the world (which celebrated both the birth and baptism of Jesus). When the Christmas festival became normative in the mid fourth century, Epiphany began to move toward a festival that focused its celebration of the baptism of Jesus. With the great Schism in 1054, the development of the festivals commemorating the birth of Christ, go in separate directions. What evolved in the West were the “Twelve Days of Christmas” beginning on the 25 th of December and concluding on the Epiphan