Look up. Look around.

Collect of the Day: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I know this is a great day. Great. Day. Stars in the sky. Our light has come. God manifest.

Manifest: late 14c., "clearly revealed," from Latin manifestus "caught in the act, plainly apprehensible, clear, evident," from manus "hand" + -festus "struck" (cf. second element of infest).

Revelation --Old French.

Apocalypse --Greek [apokalyptein "uncover, disclose, reveal," from apo- "from" + kalyptein "to cover, conceal" Its general sense in Middle English was "insight, vision; hallucination;" meaning "a cataclysmic event" is modern.]

Epiphany --also Greek: from epi "on, to" + phainein "to show". Of divine beings other than Christ, first recorded 1660s; general literary sense of "any manifestation or revelation."

So many words and more to describe the shredding of the veil, the mystery made plain as day --no longer hidden from us --right in front of our faces --face to face with God.... We no longer have to worry what God is up to --what the 'plan' is. We know. We know. All we have to do to know is look at Jesus.

What Jesus did --God at work in flesh and blood. As 'followers' of Jesus (Joel and I have been having many many conversations the last few weeks as to what 'followers' means --in the NT Greek, it is NOT like 'follow' the leader... (well, maybe it's like that in the Gospel of Mark) --it IS more like some one who accompanies, walks alongside, a helper (acolyte in the Gospel of John)) --as followers of Jesus, we are called to do what he did --feed, shelter, comfort, encourage, reconcile, liberate... you can name them. You can do them. We can. Together.

At prayer this morning (Isaiah 60:1-2)

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.

Look up. Look around. It's all around. Amen.