Epiphany Joys

Yesterday we celebrated the blessed Feast of Epiphany and it shed its great light upon us: the light of the open door to our shining home, where we join even now with angels and saints in praising the One who opened that door and made that light again our home.

Day started with a Bible study at the IC on the Epiphany Gospel for the Office of National Mission. Then we began prepping for the Divine Service. This first six months of 2015, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hamel is sponsoring the Divine Services for us. Deaconess Patten played her trumpet and Rev. Kantor Henry Gerike trumpeted on the organ as we sang "O Morning Star." I chanted the Gospel reading and right in the center, the choir took up the verse: "And lo, the star" (setting by Johannes Petzold). It ended on verse 11 and then I finished out the Gospel chant. I then preached on the Gospel reading. It was joyous to partake of the Sacrament together.

Then a romp through Revelation 10 with Dr. Lane Burgland on KFUO's Thy Strong Word.

The afternoon was spent playing catch up on LetUsPray and Lectionary Summaries for February, and setting up chapel for today's installation.

St. Paul's had Epiphany Divine Service in the evening, and I ended up playing that, so got to sing "Morning Star" twice in one day. Joy abounding! The St. Paul service was wondrously smokey with the sweet incense arising and the even sweeter incense of the saving Gospel preached into our ears.

"Behold, the Lord, the Ruler has come, and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand!"

May Epiphany continue to unfold for us its great joys!