Epiphany at UCoL

Epiphany lands in the first weeks of the new year, leading toward Lent. It is a time in which we hear stories of call, of questioning, and of wondering what comes next. We hear stories of finding and sharing gifts, of gratitude, of prophetic warning, calling people to hear what will happen if we live only for ourselves.

Over five Sundays, we will take a closer look at what a variety of texts have to say about gifts that are revealed to us and what it means to share those gifts as a fundamental part of discipleship. Being disciples is not easy: it takes courage to follow the One who turns the world upside-down. Having the audacity to look around and see that we have more than enough and then to share all that we have is a task that calls to us each and every day in our worship, prayer, study, learning, and growing. The Season of Epiphany is a perfect time for those gifts to be revealed to us and for us to find ways to share them.

In many ways, the stories found within the season of Epiphany might seem familiar. However, this might be the time when you consider a gift that you have overlooked or underappreciated. This might be a time to encourage someone around you to share a gift that you see in them. Listen deeply, daring to follow a different way, to see how God is inviting you to share your gifts in your homes, communities, and with the wider world. 

We are all invited as Christians to think about ourselves as part of God’s mission where generosity, gratitude, and growth are all signs of how seemingly ordinary gifts enable and empower us to do extraordinary things as a response to the God who loves us beyond our understanding.

These season's liturgies are an adaptation of the resources collaboratively prepared by:
Catherine Stuart, Regional Minister for Children, Youth, and Young Adults in the Atlantic Regions. Catherine lives in Riverview, New Brunswick.
Ian March-MacCuish, First United Church, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, First Dawn Eastern Edge Region.
Evan ᓄᑎᓐ Smith, Toronto Urban Native Ministry, Shining Waters Region.
Matthew Fillier, Lead Minister of Bedford United Church, Bedford, Nova Scotia, Region 15