Lynne Baab

Praying about the flow of time: The feast of Epiphany and having epiphanies

Lynne Baab • Thursday January 2 2025

I think I was in my thirties when I first heard the phrase “aha moment.” It described something I had experienced now and then, those wonderful flashes of clarity and sudden insight when I understand something deeply for the first time or profoundly change my perspective. I’d known about the Season of Epiphany since my childhood in Episcopal and Anglican churches, but I had never questioned the meaning of the word “epiphany.” It turns out that “aha moment” and “epiphany” are synonyms. Another synonym for these words is “lightbulb moment.”

Epiphany is a day, January 6, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. The Season of Epiphany, celebrated in some church traditions, begins January 6 and ends the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Tuesday, March 4, this year). To consider the punch this day and season can have for us, I want to recount some of the significant epiphanies — aha moments — I have experienced through learning about the Enneagram.

As an Enneagram One, I am always trying to go a good job. I think ahead about the best ways to do things, so when I talk with others, I can sound bossy because I’ve already got a plan. When my family members or people I have worked with viewed me as bossy, I always felt hurt and misunderstood. Learning about Enneagram Type helped me see that my goal isn’t to do it my way but to do it well. In a flash of insight, I gained understanding and language to describe something important to me. I learned to say, “I’ve thought about this. Here’s what I think would be the best way to do it, but maybe there’s a better way. I want to hear what you think that might be.”

In recent years, understanding my One type has helped me grow in ability to cope with my Mom at 100. I want to do a good job as a daughter and keep her safe, but she wants to continue to live in her house without much help, which I think is crazy. I had an aha moment recently about the way that my One type makes me too focused on what I think is best. That helped me let go of my need to convince her to change. It's her life, not mine. This has helped me find peace.

I’m hoping you’d be willing to pause right here to think of lightbulb moments in your life. Maybe some form of personality type helped you see yourself in a new light. Perhaps you had a flash of insight about what God was doing in your life, how valuable a friend is, or why you miss someone special who died. I encourage you to bring those memories into your response to my thoughts about the Season of Epiphany.

Traditionally, Christians have described the meaning of Epiphany as “manifestation” or “appearance,” and the season focuses on how God reveals love, light, hope, and salvation through Jesus. Between now and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, several events from Jesus’ life will be marked. Each of the events reveals something significant about Jesus.

As I list the events that will be marked in the Epiphany season, think about the two synonyms I mentioned above for the word “epiphany”: aha moment or lightbulb moment. Imagine yourself coming to these events with a fresh and open spirit so that each of them might feel like an aha or lightbulb moment. Jesus is truly amazing, and the events of his life reveal that to us.

Here are the remarkable events celebrated during the Season of Epiphany:

The coming of the wise men (January 6). I wrote last week about how the wise men teach us, from the very beginning of Jesus’s life, that God will enfold the whole world in the new Kingdom of God.

The baptism of Christ (the first Sunday after Epiphany, or the Monday right after Epiphany if it occurs on a Sunday, this year January 12). Remember the astonishing things that happened when John the Baptist baptized Jesus? First, John recognized Jesus as the one who ought to be doing the baptizing, but Jesus insisted that John baptize him. When Jesus came up from the water, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, landed on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, the whole story is here). Here, in one moment, we have a representation of the Trinity: the Father’s voice from heaven, Jesus coming up from the water, and the Holy Spirit represented by a dove. This is something new and eye-opening.

The Feast of the Presentation (February 2). This marks the presentation of Jesus in the temple, a rich and wonderful story involving two of my favorite people in the Bible, Anna and Simeon (Luke 2:22-38). What an aha moment for Anna and Simeon, this fulfillment of what they were longing for. Their faith and recognition are remarkable. I will write more about this story closer to the date because I love it so much. Simeon’s words are so rich and beautiful.  

The Transfiguration. The date for this festival varies. Many Western and Eastern churches celebrate the Transfiguration on August 6. The churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Presbyterians, celebrate it on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday (March 2 this year). Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appear out of nowhere (Mark 9:2-8). This event must have been shocking and overwhelming to the disciples who were with Jesus.

I hope that the notion of aha moments —  epiphanies — will help you view these stories with a fresh eye. 

God of lightbulb moments, Jesus who makes all things new, thank you for the rich stories in the Season of Epiphany. Open our eyes to see the wonder of the wise men, the Trinity present at your baptism, the faith of Anna and Simeon, and your dazzling white clothes on the Mount of Transfiguration. Give us holy astonishment.

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A blog post about the implications for listening in the story of the transfiguration:

Responding to terror by listening to Jesus’ voice

Next week: Praying for the New Year using symbols. Illustration by Dave Baab.

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Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is an author and adjunct professor. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christians spiritual practices. Read more »

Lynne is pleased to announce the release of her two 2024 books, both of them illustrated with her talented husband Dave's watercolors. She is thrilled at how good the watercolors look in the printed books, and in the kindle versions, if read on a phone, the watercolors glow. Friendship, Listening and Empathy: A Prayer Guide guides the reader into new ways to pray about the topics in the title. Draw Near: A Lenten Devotional guides the reader to a psalm for each day of Lent and offers insightful reflection/discussion questions that can be used alone or in groups. 

Another recent book is Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian  Life, available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. Lynne's 2018 book is Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care for the Twenty-First Century, and her most popular book is Sabbath-Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest (now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle). You can see her many other book titles here, along with her Bible study guides.

You can listen to Lynne talk about these topics: empathy, bringing spiritual practices to life. Sabbath keeping for recent grads., and Sabbath keeping for families and children.

Lynne was interviewed for the podcast "As the Crow Flies". The first episode focuses on why listening matters and the second one on listening skills. 

Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry.

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"Dear Dr. Baab, You changed my life. It is only through God’s gift of the sabbath that I feel in my heart and soul that God loves me apart from anything I do."
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