Epiphany Times Three by Kathrin Burleson
Matthew 2:1-12:
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Some ideas to celebrate Epiphany as a family:
Add the kings to the scene in your nativity.
Sing 'We Three Kings'
Make crowns from sugar paper & glitter
Talk about what gift we could could give to Jesus. Write it down & seal in an envelope. Put it away with the nativity set, to be re-read next year as advent begins..
Ask God to bless your house!
With a piece of chalk, mark the main door of your house with initials of the traditional names of the Magi — Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar — and the numbers of the new year, connected by crosses, so it looks like this:
20 + C + M + B + 09
The initials also stand for the motto: "Christus mansionem benedicat" — or, "May Christ bless this house."
The reason we use chalk is that fristly it is easily removed, but aslo it reminds us of the dust of the earth from which we were made.)
While you're marking your main door, you might say this prayer:
"The wise men followed the star of God's Son Who became man two thousand years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us thoughout the new year. Amen."
Bake 'Kind's Bread'
This recipe makes five cakelike loaves of delicious raisin bread for the feast of Epiphany.
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large, heavy pan, scald the milk. Add sugar and salt. Cool. Beat eggs and add with melted butter and dissolved yeast to the cooled milk mixture. Add raisins, including the extra water.
2. Measure 14 cups flour into a large bowl and beat in the above mixture. Add additional flour as needed, but the batter should be a little sticky. Cover and let rise to double in size, then punch down.
3. Form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise in pans until double in size. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 50 minutes.
Recipe Source: From a Monastery Kitchen: The Classic Natural Foods Cookbook by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, Gramercy Books, 1997
4 cups milk, scalded
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
11 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
7 packages yeast (dissolved in 1 1/3 cups warm water)
2 1/2 pounds raisins (soak in 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water)
16 to 17 cups flour
Enjoy this blessed time
