"Westerners now generally start our Christmas preparations unfortunately on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and work at a frenzied pace to get everything ready for 1 day only. We then give all or most of our gifts on December 25th and many even have the tree and decoration taken down by the next day. It hasn’t always been like this though."
Song: Setting of Psalm 67
Passage: Isaiah 60:1-9
Dutch Children Act out the Epiphany
Hello everyone and Welcome to episode #7 of the Anno Domini Podcast. A podcast dedicated to the supremacy of Christ over all things including our days, weeks, and months.
Join me as we explore how Christ is revealed through the cyclical life of the church calendar year. We’ll discover how this calendar once structured culture and how it can again. We’ll also discuss practical ways to observe and celebrate these holy days in our quest to glorify God and live the good life in the midst of all good He has given us.
We have made it through the season of Advent and now we approach our next holiday on the Church calendar; Epiphany. Epiphany is the culmination of the Christmas season and comes after the 12 days of Christmas is over. It is a time when we celebrate the coming of the Messiah unto the Gentiles and up until the 19th century, it was on par with Christmas Day itself earning itself the title of “little Christmas.” As I’ve said before, Epiphany, like any of the feast and festivals found on the Church Calendar are not a requirement for Christians to observe but a blessings for those who enjoy the liberty found in the gospel. Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly. If celebrating a holiday that is found only in tradition and not in the revealed Word of God bothers your conscience, then by all means sit this celebration out. Just remember this: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. The Lord’s day is not a day that we have the option to take or leave. It is the day God has set aside for us to rest and worship Him. To celebrate the victory of the Christ over Sin, Satan, and Death itself.
Practical and Historical Have you ever heard of the 12 days of Christmas? You’ve know the song but contrary to popular belief now, the first day of Christmas is actually Christmas Day or December 25th and each following day until the evening of the January 5th or 12th day which is also called Twelfth Night those are the 12 days of Christmas. Westerners now generally start our Christmas preparations unfortunately on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and work at a frenzied pace to get everything ready for 1 day only. We then give all or most of our gifts on December 25th and many even have the tree and decoration taken down by the next day. It hasn’t always been like this though. Before the 19th century, when the industrial revolution put an end to extended celebrations, Epiphany was more important than Christmas Day itself. We would spread our gift giving and merry making out over 12 days, each day celebrating a different aspect of Christianity and our history. One day we would celebrate the first martyr of the Church, Stephan, another day we mark and mourn the slaughter of the innocents by the hand of the Romans and Herod in Bethlehem. This would all be building up to the very biggest part of the celebration which happens on the evening of January 5th or Twelfth night which was the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany. These were times meant for singing and caroling from door to door. A time of feasting and eating lots of great food with friends and family. It was also a time for making and eating something called Kings Cake which has many many variations with the version I’m most familiar with being called Panettone. Usually a dried bean would be placed on one side of the cake and a dried pea placed somewhere on the other side. The men and boys eat the side co