With Jesus, there are 12 days

The reverend extraordinaire Nicholas Lubelfeld is our resident sage on all things theology, especially when it comes to the Anglican tradition. As is his common way, Nicholas helps us lean into the season with tender hearts and endearing humility.

Transcript

Advent begins the church year traditionally, and then the ... This is in the West. I'm not speaking for Orthodox Christians in the East. But in the Western churches, Advent begins the church year. Then there's Christmastide, of which there are 12 days. If you and I have a birthday, it's like a day, right? But with Jesus, it's a big birth, so that's 12 days. You may remember the Christmas song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” On the first day of Christmas ... So there's 12 days of it, and its two beginning and end points, its two termini are Christmas at the beginning on the 25th of December, Epiphany on the sixth.

And after Epiphany, the first Sunday after Epiphany is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. And then we read the story of Jesus' baptism. We often celebrate holy baptisms on that day. That's something that has been emphasized in the new church calendar.

Then after Epiphany, there is a season for a week or two of luminous readings. One of the church years, they read the story of the miracle in Cana, where Jesus transforms these vast jugs of water into wine in Galilee, at a wedding there. And that a manifestation. It says in John's Gospel this was the first sign that Jesus manifested his glory and his power there. So this is a wonderful little figure of the manifestation of Christ.

So the visitation of the Magi, the baptism of the Lord, and the miracle at Cana are sort of three Epiphany themes just like at Christmastime, it's his actual birth and the Nativity itself.