EPIPHANY means manifestation. We use the word for an inspiration or greater understanding of something.

Certainly, the Epiphany helps us to understand Jesus Christ and his mission. It is the feast when we think of the Wise Men from the east who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Gold represents his kingship, frankincense represents our worship and myrrh represents his death.

It is appropriate at the beginning of a New Year, after such a terrible 2020, that we bring our gifts to Jesus to help make 2021 a better year than 2020.

King George VI, in his New Year message on December 19, 1939, when Great Britain was at war with Germany, quoted from a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins. This was when uncertainty reigned in the hearts and minds of the citizens of Great Britain.

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied:

Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

So, I went forth and finding the hand of God,

Trod gladly into the night. And he led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”

The above words were also spoken at the end of the 1940 MGM movie, “The Mortal Storm.”

There is no doubt that 2021 is not going to begin well and that many problems lie ahead.

I would not have dreamed when I began writing this column in March of 2020 that we would be in the situation that we are today.

It is therefore, all the more important that we have an epiphany that will sustain us and inspire us to come through.

Thank you to all who have sustained us and inspired us to date. My prayer is that we have a semblance of normality by this coming Easter. The words of Alfred Lord Tennyson still ring true today:

“Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be. (From ‘In Memoriam.’)

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Hymns:

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,

bow down before him, his glory proclaim;

with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,

kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:

high on his heart he will bear it for thee,

comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,

guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.” (J.S.B. Monsell 1811-75)

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“A dalwn ni iddo’r gorau o’n trysor,

llysiau o Edom yn offrwm i’n Duw,

gemau o’r mynydd a pherlau o’r dyfnfor,

myrr o’r anialdir, ac aur o Beriw?

Ofer y ceisiem ei wên ag anrhegion,

ofer â golud y ddaear yn hael:

gwell ganddo gywir addoliad y gallon,

gwell gan yr Iesu yw gweddi y gwael.” (Reginald Heber. 1783-1826. Cyf William Williams 1806-77)

Prayers:

Lord God,

the bright splendour whom the nations seek:

may we who with the Wise Men have been drawn to your light

discern the glory of your presence in your Son,

the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Arglwydd Dduw,

yr ysblander disglair y mae’r cenhedloedd

yn ei geisio,

bydded i ni, sydd gyda’r doethion,

wedu ein denu gan dy oleuni,

ddirnad gogoniant dy bresenoldeb yn dy Fab,

y Gair a wnaethpwyd yn gnawd,

Iesu Grist ein Harglwydd. Amen.

Rev John Powell

Retired vicar of Cardigan