Epiphany

This is the first year where I've thought of this stretch of ordinary time between Christmas and Lent as Epiphany.  It isn't as if I didn't know it was called that, but I'm really taken with the idea of allowing the manifestation of Christ to spill forward from the day of Epiphany until the beginning of lent (just as the incarnation spills into the twelve days of Christmas and the mystery of Easter spills into six more weeks).  We've always tried to study the life and ministry of Christ during this time that leads to Lent and Resurrection day, but this idea of allowing Christ to become manifest in our lives during this time has a new meaning and energy for me right now.

I designed this banner for ordinary time in the summer.  I wanted the image of the tree growing, partly because my ordinary time baby's name is that of a tree (Rowan) and partly because I love the way godly play calls ordinary time "The Great Green Growing Time".  So the tree and the spiral were already planned in the summer, but then as I went to stitch the spiral after Christmas I realized that an epiphany star was needed at the center.  I love the image of the spiral for christian growth.  We are always learning and growing closer to God and realizing more and more of who He is - Epiphany!