Deacon
Tom Writes,
“God’s
Wonderful Plan”
As we celebrate the
Feast of the Epiphany today we recall God’s immense love for his people that
gave rise to his taking upon himself our human natures so as to become one with
us and claims us as his own. The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer we hear
today tells us how the Father “revealed
the mystery of our salvation in Christ as the light of the nations…” This
light dawned on that first Christmas day when Mary gave birth to her Son Jesus,
who is both Son of God… and Son of Mary.
It was difficult for
the Jews of Christ’s time to understand that God willed salvation for everyone;
that salvation was not reserved for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
alone. True, God revealed himself through the Jewish people, but God intended
Christ’s redemptive work to be shared by ALL.
This Feast we enjoy
today celebrates the reality that God has not restricted or limited the saving
work of Jesus Christ. It is through this revealing Christ to the world that God,
again, in the words of today’s Preface, “you
made us new by the glory of his (i.e. Christ’s) immortal nature.” What an
encouraging thought in light of the many challenges we face today…that we can
tap into this newness of life and love that Christ offers each of us.
None of us have the power to change things
very much on a global scale. But, each of us can do something to show
that we have been renewed and animated by Christ’s love and presence in our
lives. We can do little things that
make a big difference in the lives of the people we encounter every day. We can pray for one another; we can visit someone mourning the loss
of a loved one. We can show that we
have been renewed by Christ’s love whenever we visit a sick friend, welcome a
stranger, give hope to the despairing, write a card or make a call to someone
immobilized by old age or illness. We, ourselves, are renewed whenever we are
animated as a member of the Body of Christ to be stewards of God’s grace or
give witness to God’s transformative power by telling others how God has
transformed our lives. We are renewed each time we realize God’s wonderful plan
is to make all things new, even us.
Yes, our destiny is to be remade in the image of Christ… “to put on the new self, created in God's way
in righteousness and holiness of truth”(EPH 4:24).
Have a wonder-filled New Year experiencing
God’s love and sharing that love with others every day of the year!
Deacon Tom
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