Pastor's Pen: Revealing God's Light

In common parlance, an epiphany is a moment of revelation. It’s a time of “aha” when something confusing suddenly fits together. In the church calendar, we have the season of Epiphany. After Christmas Day, in the month of January, we will often reflect in worship on Scriptures that reveal Jesus’ true nature.

The most important is January 6, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi. Following a star, these travelers from the East arrive in Bethlehem to worship the young Jesus as king (Matthew 2). This moment reveals that Jesus is not an ordinary child but the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles. Later, we consider the baptism of Jesus when God, the Father, declares that Jesus is “my beloved Son,” and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove (Matthew 3). Then, there is the first miracle at Cana when Jesus turns water into wine (John 2). Each of these events in the gospels reveals Jesus as God’s light to the world.

In a tradition that dates back to Medieval Europe, pastors and church leaders would arrive in the homes of parishioners during this season of Epiphany. They arrived like the Magi to bless their homes with prayer. As God revealed his light in Christ, the pastors prayed that believers would reveal God’s light in their lives and homes. As part of the blessing, the pastor would write the year and the letters C, M, and B on the doorframe in chalk. The letters are short for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” Latin for “Christ, this house bless.” It probably didn’t hurt that the letters were also the initials of the traditional names of the three Wisemen, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. During the Communist era, those chalk markings became a public protest in Eastern Europe for some Christians. They were a sign of their rejection of the atheism of their governments.

In January 2024, we are starting this tradition in our church. You can request a home blessing on the Sunday Pew Pad or just contact the church office. Our Ministry Associate, Julie Murdock, or I will come to bless your home. We pray that God will bless our families in 2024, that our homes will reveal the love and hospitality of Christ, and that the Holy Spirit will guide our paths daily.

Chalk is optional.

Grace and Peace,

James Hodsden