For Epiphany this year we had some friends over to celebrate "the Last Day of Christmas." I reeeeally wanted to make almond cookies or at least a "Galette des Rois" like I remember from my childhood in France, but everything I found had gluten in it... and I didn't have the time to make every single component (like almond paste) from scratch. This year.
The kids didn't mind. :) We made crowns, and I read about the Magi coming to worship the King, and how that was so amazing-- that finally God was telling all people everywhere how to be forgiven! I taught them how to play "Find the Baby King"-- I hid Baby Jesus and we all mounted our camels and trotted off to find him, with me giving "hot" or "cold" clues. They
really got into this game, though the littler ones didn't exactly "get" the hot-cold concept, hah. But they seriously would have kept on playing for an hour. I should also point out that Eowyn didn't want to be a Magi-- she insisted on being Mary. Not sure what that means about her mothering skills, if she kept losing her own child...
My friend Sarah (mother of the other munchkins at our celebration) had pulled up some blogs of friends of hers who are missionaries abroad, and we talked about how our job is, in a sense, to bring Epiphany to everyone. Lots of people still have not heard of the Messiah who brings Light into our Darkness-- and it is our joy to tell them about Him! I think the kids made the connection better than I expected, between a Baby King revealed to faraway Gentile star-gazers, and a Reigning Forgiving King revealed to faraway pagans today.
Of course I didn't think to take any pictures during the actual party, but I did manage to prop the kids down in front of the tree before we took all the ornaments off and said goodbye to Christmas. Next year I'd like to do a little celebration every day of Christmas through Epiphany, but at least I'm glad to have managed a party to finish off the season.
[One last thought on the Magi. I think they really could read the stars. I think that God really has written --in sweeping, broad non-specific parameters-- His purposes in the skies. He calls out the starry hosts by name, after all! I think those ancient magicians (Magi) were onto something-- they studied for years upon years. I don't mean piddly little horoscopes or personal life-stories; rather epic history foretold. Rising of good & evil tides. Scripture from Genesis to Revelation seems to hint at such incomplete revelation My guess is that Rowling's & Lewis' centaurs are right-- but we have long forgotten how to read the stars. ...if you really want to cook your noodle, what about Lewis' take on Merlin as an ancient Celtic Christian earth-magician? Read
The Hideous Strength and get back to me.]
“Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon.” :)― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Much as I love poetry, sometimes a simple chart says it way better.
