Epiphany
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13
Insight
This past Saturday was Epiphany. It is a day that the church has historically marked to celebrate the revelation of Jesus as Savior, not just to the Hebrew (or Jewish) people but to the whole world. The moment in Jesus’ life most often used to celebrate Epiphany is the visit of the Magi, the wise men or three kings who traveled from far away to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus to worship Jesus as King.
Epiphany means “to make manifest” or to make something seeable or seen. In our modern vocabulary, we often use the word epiphany to describe a light bulb moment, when something clicks, and suddenly it makes sense. But as our Pastor Mike encouraged us this past Sunday, the Epiphany of Jesus is not just about seeing Jesus, but that by seeing Jesus, we would see everything else differently. Like with the Magi, a true encounter with Jesus forever changes us!
My One Word for 2023 was “SEEN.” I loved it. It came from the story of Hagar in the book of Genesis. Her story is pretty raw and, honestly, a bit sad to me. Hagar was an Egyptian servant who was pregnant and on the run for safety in the wilderness when… God showed up in her life. God spoke to Hagar through an angel, assuring her that God had heard her cries for help and that she would give birth to a son. And Hagar’s response was to give God a name:
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)
I love this encounter between Hagar and God, specifically for what it shows me about who God is. God is the God who sees. As a foreigner, a servant, and a woman- Hagar probably felt unseen. Yet God saw her in her misery, in the middle of her difficulty. The obvious takeaway for us is a hope that if God saw Hagar, then surely that same God sees me.
Throughout 2023, this idea that God sees me was so encouraging to me. The reality that God sees me changed how I began to see everything else. God sees me means that God knows me, cares for me, and is present in my life. When tempted to feel unseen or unappreciated by others, I was reminded that God sees me as I am and loves me for who I am. When tempted to feel entitled, like I deserved something being withheld from me, I was reminded that God cares for me and knows exactly what I need. When I struggled with feelings of loneliness, I was reminded that God is present with me right where I am in life.
When I see God as God, it changes how I see everything else. That’s an epiphany!
Reflection
In what ways have you seen God recently? How have you seen God as faithful, kind, compassionate, wise, consequential, or good?
How does seeing God that way change how you see everything else? For example, if you’ve seen God be good, how does that change how you see a difficult circumstance in your life or one that may come soon?
Prayer
Father God, thank you for being a God who sees me. For knowing me, caring for me, and being ever-present with me. Thank you also for making yourself seeable to me. Thank you for Jesus, the perfect image and embodiment of your invisible nature. Thank you for the moments in my life where I see who and how you are. May my encounters with you forever change me. Help me to see you more clearly and, therefore, to see everything else differently. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Clay Everett, Wilmington Campus Pastor, wrote today’s devotional.