Recovering The Twelve-Day Christmas To Epiphany Celebration

The commercialization of Christmas may be combated by following the suggestions below to recover a full twelve-day celebration that begins at Christmas and ends at Epiphany.

The word epiphany means "manifestation" and refers in particular to the manifestation of Jesus as Savior not only of the Jews, but of all the peoples of the world. The merchants of our land are calling the shots on Christmas, at least as to when our parishioners feel it is Christmas time. The commercialization of Christmas has overpowered the church's 1,500-year-old tradition of Advent. Christmas is popularly understood to end, not begin, on December 25. Consequently, Epiphany has been relegated to utter obscurity, an afterthought that appears as a curious inscription on the pastor's program planning calendar. Epiphany: Its Context The elevation or rehabilitation of Epiphany will be effected less by straining to discover its uniqueness than by recovering its proper context, i.e., by treating the systemic problem of Advent and Christmas. The essential antidote is the straightforward, unabashed, and unwavering recognition of Christmas as a twelve-day celebration from December 25 to January 6. Perseverance here will work slowly to transform the context of Epiphany and thereby its identity and place in the life of the church. There are many gestures that will work in this direction, for example: (1) Schedule your church Christmas decorating party late in Advent. Plan this months in advance and secure commitments from parishioners for specific responsibilities (so they won't later tell you how busy they are on the afternoon or evening of the 21st). Invite families to attend. Sing carols!—the children no longer learn them in public schools. (2) Designate the "Sundays after Christmas" as the "Sundays of Christmas (tide)." The new consensus (CCT) lectionary, by labeling them "Sundays after," unwittingly reinforces the cultural tendency to view Christmas as the one day climax of the Christmas shopping season. (3) Hymnal editors, in the subject designations that appear in the indices and under each hymn, should forgo nomenclature such as "Jesus Christ: His birth" in favor of "Christmastide" or even "December 25–January 6." Moreover, hymnal commissions should note the lectionary readings for Advent and begin to include those hymns traditionally found in the "Jesus Christ: His Second Coming" section along with the Advent hymns. An expanded Advent section will encourage the pastor who otherwise would exhaust the Advent selections and grasp prematurely for Christmas carols. (The Episcopal Hymnal 1982 provides a larger Advent section.) (4) Encourage the scheduling of church and family Christmas events during the twelve days of Christmas. Publicize these according to the Day of Christmas, Fourth Night Concert, Twelfth Night Party, and so forth. Our local ministerial association traditionally has a Christmas gathering with spouses. One year, our Advent schedules were so packed that we could not find an open date before the 24th. We broke with tradition and met instead "after Christmas," on the 28th. The party was a real success—everyone attended for a change and the mood was much more relaxed, each of us having behind us the pressures unique to pastors prior to the 25th. Christmas concerts, Sunday school programs, caroling, etc., within the twelve days may not "feel right" initially, but give this practice time to take hold. (5) Schedule an annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols during the twelve days. For solo pastors without pulpit relief, the First Sunday of Christmas is an opportune time; it "changes the pace" on what is usually a "low" Sunday and is a highly participatory service that is always well-received. Moreover, the singing of so many Christmas carols in one service reinforces the twelve days' tradition. A drawback is that such a service may overlay the themes proper to those days (Holy Family, Innocents, Holy Name, etc.). This can be remedied by selecting Scripture passages that expand these lectionary themes. (6) Include on the church calendar (local and national) the minor festival days that are related to Christmas: December 26 as St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr December 27 as St. John, Apostle and Evangelist December 28 as Holy Innocents The First Sunday of Christmas also as Holy Family January 1 as The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ The First Sunday after Epiphany as The Baptism of the Lord February 2 (the 40th day counting from Christmas) as The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple Appropriate lectionary texts for these days may be found in The Book of Common Prayer. Epiphany: Christmas Finale Attention to the context of Epiphany will go a long way toward giving it the esteem that is properly its due. When such a favorable climate is created, the desire for a liturgical gimmick to elevate the day will subside. The identity and character of the day ought to be centered in the liturgy for Epiphany, which is properly a eucharistic one. Whatever else is planned for the occasion should not detract from this central focus. Because Epiphany usually falls on a weekday, the parish celebration is likely to be an evening one. (When Epiphany falls on a Lord's Day, the Eucharist may be celebrated at the morning service and the annual evening Epiphany events centered around Epiphany vespers or evening prayer.) The Epiphany service of Word and sacrament may be colored in ways complementary to the lections and themes proper to the day. Congregations that are otherwise ambivalent to the use of incense in worship may be open to the use of frankincense on this night. Children present may be invited to add the magi to the crèche scene. At the offertory, persons attired as the three kings may present the eucharistic gifts while the congregation sings "We Three Kings." Without in any way detracting from the eucharistic liturgy that is the center and focus of Epiphany, other customs may evolve. The Episcopal church with whom a previous Presbyterian congregation of mine shared its worship space observes an Epiphany pattern that we came to appreciate. A potluck supper is followed by a short eucharistic service. The Christmas decorations are then taken down. At the conclusion of the evening, all gather for Epiphany cake. Baked inside are "gifts" that obligate the person in whose piece they are found to certain privileges and responsibilities: 3 beans—persons are crowned kings or queens for the season 1 ring—person must make next year's cake 1 thimble—a test of patience and diligence; some creative talent of craftsmanship must be displayed at next year's Epiphany 1 dime—a test of stewardship; at next year's Epiphany the person must show how it grew To the degree that a congregation respects the integrity of Advent and celebrates Christmas as a twelve-day festival of the Incarnation, Epiphany, centered around the Lord's Table, will be less a postscriptum and more the Christmas finale that is rightly its glory. O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.