Cribbing from the Ancients

This morning, I read about an ancient Epiphany practice, still enacted by our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters.  Epiphany is a multi-layered celebration commemorating: the light entering the darkness, the Magi celebrating the birth of the Christ-child and the turn, with the remembrance of Jesus' baptism, from Christ as child to Christ as teacher, healer and Savior.

Reading from Bobby Gross' Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God, I learned about this tradition:

While the whole church settled on December 25 for the birth of Christ, the East and West varied as to when they celebrated subsequent events. Thus, today the East includes the visit of the Magi in the nativity celebration and emphasizes Christ's baptism on January 6, while the West recognizes the Magi on January 6 and commemorates the baptism on the first Sunday afterward...

One Epiphany tradition, the blessing of the homes using holy water and incense, has been practiced since the end of the Middle ages.  The letters C, M, and B are usually traced on the doors...the initials stand for Christus mansionem benedicat, or "May Christ bless the dwelling." Frederica Mathewes-Green describes the use of newly blessed water in her church on Epiphany: "The holy water represents baptism, and during th eperiod between Theophany (Epiphany) and Lent each year, every Orthodox home is to be visited by the priest and sprinkled with the water, carrying our baptism home."

 "Carrying our baptism home" struck me as a meaningful way to celebrate God's presence in my every day life and to consecrate 2015 to God's will and purposes.  Being short on incense and holy water, I took some creative liberties. Using ordinary water in an ordinary bowl and my ordinary self, I went from room to room asking God's blessing on the people who will be guests here, that the place may be a haven for me and a gift to others in the year to come.  This seems a super simple practice, meaningful and easy to practice with children, if you have any scampering around.  I'm happy to help if you want a "priestly presence" but I suspect it will work as well without me.

I know we are already a week into the new year but it is never to late to ask God's blessing on your home, your family and your adventures/rest/hospitality in 2015!