Two days ago was Epiphany. And also an opportunity for an epiphany.
For Christians, at least those who pay attention to the liturgy of the Christian calendar, Epiphany marks the day when the Magi visited the infant Christ. Gifts fit for a King’s palace were brought to a commoner’s barn. The fanfare was quiet, almost entirely unnoticed by the rest of the world, but it was real. Here was the true King!
The government of not just one nation, but of the entire world, would one day rest on his shoulders. Every political, military, economic, and cultural power on earth was very quietly yet emphatically put on notice. A transfer of power was subtly imminent.
For Americans, at least those who were paying attention to the news, Wednesday marked the day when an angry mob broke into the Capitol Building. Moving beyond mere protest, they brought violence and destruction, momentarily disrupting one step in the transition from one administration to the next. They had no interest in any transfer of power, and certainly not a peaceful one.
Perhaps the most insidious—really, demonic—part of it was the waving of a Christian flag. The banner that said “Jesus 2020.“ As if somehow there was divine sanction on their lawlessness. Again, this was really nothing less than demonic: the demonic is always behind mob mentality, deception regarding reality, and pseudo-religious sanctions on violence. These people were not following the King who came as a baby. They followed a different, darker star.
May this day serve in history as an epiphany, a light-bulb moment, for true Christians in our country about where our allegiances lie, about whose Kingdom we belong to. May we more truly transfer all power to the humble King who rules with the kindness, justice, and truth rather than with violence, force, and manipulation.
