Epiphany

What do different Churches do at epiphany?

Bishop throws cross into water. This who want to dive in to try and retrieve the cross Russian Orthodox have a cold bath of water where people dip in three times, one for the father one for the son and one for the holy spirit In spain, it is a big celebration. Something cultural, the arrival of the three wise men

What happens at epiphany?

Christians attend church and would read the story of the Magi visiting Jesus in the Gospels In the Church of England the monarch gives gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh In the eastern churches Epiphany predominately celebrates the Baptism of Jesus, by John the Baptist

What is epiphany?

Epiphany is the season after Christmas and in the western churches predominately celebrates the visit of the Magi

What is epiphany a time for?

It is a time for Christians to baptised and a time for feasting to celebrate Jesus being dedicated to God More recently it has become a time to remember Jesus attending the Wedding at Cana. This is the only wedding mentioned in the New Testament Hence, it is a time for reflecting on the sacraments

Why are the Magi important?

Thought to be the first non-Jews to recognise the importance of Jesus' birth and so Christians remember that Jesus was born to bring salvation to all mankind and to reconcile all mankind to God. Had a realisation of who he was and what he was going to do

How does celebrating epiphany affect the life of a Christian?

Time for reflecting on: the purpose of Jesus' time on earth (as symbolised in the three gifts); Jesus' life, his preaching, teaching, death and resurrection; baptism as a purification and a symbol of Christian commitment; baptism as an entry into the Christian community; the importance of marriage: Christian duty to spread the message to others (i.e. evangelise) Epiphany is when we knew that Jesus was the son of God

What did the Magi do?

brought gifts of gold (signifying Jesus was to be a king), frankincense (signifying he was to intercede between God and mankind - the role fulfilled by a priest), and myrrh (signified he was going to die and rise again)

What does epiphany mean?

A moment of sudden realisation