Epiphany

The Star of the Wise Men led the way for the Gentiles to find the Savior. Epiphany, January 6, the traditional day of the arrival of the Magi, becomes the challenge to let the light shine. So often we have seen the Epiphany celebration as one that reminds us to get out there and evangelize. Ah, but sometimes we need something far more essential to "evangelism"- the ability to see more than souls in need.

An old Jewish story tells of a rabbi who asked his disciples, "How do you know when the night is giving way and the morning is coming?"

One of the disciples stood and said, "Teacher, won't you know that night is fading when, through the dim light, you can see an animal and recognize whether it is a sheep or a dog?"

The rabbi answered, "No."

"Rabbi," asked another. "Won't you know that the dawn is coming when you can see clearly enough to distinguish whether a tree is a fig or an olive?"

"No," responded the teacher. "You'll know that the night has passed when you can look at any man and any woman and discern that you are looking at a brother or a sister. Until you can see with that clarity, the night will always be with us."

[Story found on a web-site by Steve Goodier]