Epiphany is the season of light. Sometimes light draws us forward; sometimes it pushes us away. Sometimes light brings hope; sometimes it provokes fear. People who experience exclusion appreciate the power of this illumination. Words from Isaiah 60 pour into their very being: “Arise, shine … Upon you Divinity will shine … Raise your eyes, look around you; those who have despised you have gathered around you … The dust of their camels has covered you, so many have gathered … As you behold them you will glow and your heart will throb and thrill.” The light of God shines glory among those obscured by society’s shadows. It is time, Isaiah says, for God’s people to rise up as beacons of the divine presence.

	Can you name times when you shied away from being exposed to the light? Can you name times when you could bask in the light, confident of God’s blessing?

Unfortunately, light imagery has sometimes served evil purposes in our society. Racist discourse has glorified lighter hues and vilified darker ones. How may faithful people claim the universal human experience of rejoicing in daylight? Perhaps we might follow a clue from Marianne Williamson when she says, “It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God… And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” [A Return to Love (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), chapter7, section 3, See also http://www.marianne.com/].

	Has your community of faith held an open conversation about worship language, including the language of light and darkness?

Just as the light of our divinity has drawing power, in Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, we are reminded that doing justice also has drawing power. The psalm articulates a cause and effect relationship. Nations and rulers gather to the righteous ruler – because that one “delivers the needy when they call” (verse 4). That righteous ruler regards the blood of the needy as precious. What a wonder that would be, when rulers treasure the blood of the poor as much as they do the income of the powerful!

	Do we really believe that justice compels people to draw near? When have you joined others in doing God’s justice? What was so compelling about the call to justice for you?

In Matthew 2:1-12, the star light that announced the birth of Jesus evoked both hope and fear. The magi trekked countless miles to see the hope-child, Sophia’s child. But Herod’s fear led to mass murder. It is as if Herod read Psalm 72 and pursued the opposite path. Domination, not justice, set Herod’s agenda. Those who cultivate domination work in the shadows, avoiding the possibility that light might reveal their vulnerabilities.

The divine design to which Ephesians 3:1-12 appeals echoes Isaiah’s call. Now is the time to arise and shine. In other words, stand up! Rise up because, no matter who might be opposed to us and our sense of the Gospel, God resides in us, among us, all around us. God's is the light that many will see. While others try to snuff it out, many will gravitate toward that light because it is a light of truth and of grace.

The passage from Ephesians testifies to God’s many-dimensional Wisdom (Sophia). In other words, the divine Wisdom embraces diversity. Wisdom’s plan has been to unite all of humanity in the presence of God, yet this plan has remained – it still remains – a mystery, obscured by human sinfulness. Christian ministry, Ephesians proclaims, involves bringing that Wisdom to light, revealing the essential oneness of all persons in God’s design. Ephesians nearly sings it out: one body, called to share in the blessings of Christ (verse 6). Thus Ephesians extends the call to rise up. After all, the many-dimensional wisdom of God reveals itself through God’s people.

Epiphany light does not shine on everyone the same way. The arrogant turn away in fear, while others rise to bask in its glow. Few places can rival the joy experienced when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folk worship together in an affirming community of faith. Can we envision that moment when our neighbors perceive our community as a radiant site of divine Wisdom? Can we become the people who draw our neighbors to that light?