Wingham United Church

January 18, 2026

Another Epiphany

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

The word Epiphany means, in the theological sense, a manifestation of a divine being. In the Christian church, that specifically means Jesus. We could define it further to say that, from a Christian perspective, epiphany is a revelation of Christ’s identity as the Son of God. January 6th of each year is identified as Epiphany on most calendars, and we celebrate it as commemoration of the day when the wise men from the East, or magi, if you prefer, arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and knew when they met the child Jesus sitting on his mother’s lap, that he was indeed the newborn King of the Jews, the Messiah sent by God.

          For preachers like me, though, that follow the Revised Common Lectionary, Epiphany is more than just a single day. It is an entire liturgical season, lasting from January 6th until Transfiguration Sunday, which is the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent. The length of the season varies depending on the timing of Easter. This year, it is only six Sundays long, it can be as many as ten. During the season of Epiphany, every week, our scripture readings tell us of yet another affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God – each week, another epiphany.

          The first Sunday after the day of Epiphany, which was last Sunday, is always Baptism of Christ Sunday, and Jesus’ identity is affirmed after his baptism when the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him and a voice from heaven was heard to say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

          Today, John the Baptist is once again involved in our revelation, even more directly than last week. To begin, John is being questioned as to whether he might be the One they were expecting, or perhaps he was one of the ancient prophets brought back to instruct God’s people. He assures them that he is none of these, but that he is the one Isaiah spoke of when he wrote of a voice calling out in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”

          He goes on the tell them that the One they are looking for, the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, was actually standing among them. It isn’t until the next day, however, that John sees Jesus and points him out. There’s the One I’ve been telling you about! He goes on to tell them what he witnessed when Jesus was baptized.

          The day after that, John points Jesus out yet again to some of his own disciples who then leave John to follow Jesus, and after spending the rest of the day with him, realize for themselves that they had “found the Messiah!” Another Epiphany! Another moment when Jesus is revealed to be the Son of God.

          Each of the next four Sundays will recount yet another revelation of Christ’s true identity, culminating with His Transfiguration on the mountaintop, at which time, we once again will hear the voice from heaven affirming that he is the dearly loved Son of God.

          In the meantime, we are left to wonder what to do with this knowledge. How do these ancient revelations impact the lives we live today? That’s really what church is about when you stop and think about it. We are the body of Christ in our present time, so a significant part of our responsibility is to reveal Christ to others. How we do that is often where we find disagreement in the church. Once again, it seems very little has changed in 2000 years.

          Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth was written specifically for that reason. There is a great deal of conflict happening within this fledgling church – many different opinions, different voices, different agendas. Today, we read just the first few paragraphs of a letter that stretches out to 16 chapters. Paul begins by telling them from whom the letter comes and establishing his own authority to tell them what he is about to share. That part is important because it seems several people have stepped forward to assume leadership of the church there, and not all preaching the same gospel as Paul, and that is from where much of the conflict comes.

          He goes on to remind them what has brought them all together in the first place. They are the church, called by God to be His holy people. They are united with all people everywhere who call Jesus Christ their Lord. “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”

          He doesn’t start right in by pointing fingers and naming the problems. Instead, he, in what we know today to be good form when offering direction or correction, points out the good. He is thankful for the gracious gift God has given them. Through Jesus, they have been given everything they need to build a strong, thriving church. He mentions those who speak with eloquence and persuasion, even though it is some of them who have caused discord. He assures them that they have every spiritual gift required to remain faithful to Jesus and spread the gospel until Christ’s return. They have been invited into partnership with Jesus, called and equipped to carry on his ministry, as has our church today.

          To do this, however, they need to work together, as community. That is a common theme throughout this letter, brought to the forefront in the twelfth chapter when Paul compares the church to the human body, with each part playing its own unique role. God has brought us together, united in Jesus for a common purpose.

          People were encouraged to come together for worship not only so that they could learn more about God and Jesus, but also to build that sense of community. Community is strengthened when we pray together, and even more so when we sing together. That is why music is such an important part of worship. Raising our voices in a communal hymn of praise brings us together at a deeper level that builds bonds that reach far beyond worship, and bring us closer not only to God, but to each other.

          In our time, it seems, that sense of unity, or community, has given way to a desire for individuality. Being part of a community of people who live and work and play and eat together is no longer a priority. Even many families, I am told, rarely eat together at table as each person’s individual activity takes them away from home at what used to be preciously guarded time together, and the dynamic of family is eroded away.

          The same holds true for our churches. At one time, the church was a central place of social interaction in a community. This is where people caught up on local news, found out how their neighbours were doing, and found their place in the larger world. A one-hour worship service required a full morning, because before and after church, people gathered and visited, perhaps over a cup of coffee, or over the hood of someone’s pickup truck. The folks at Knox do a good job of this, with coffee and treats being offered both before and after worship, people come early and stay late to talk to one another, share their trials and triumphs of the previous week, or their concerns about the week to come.

          Here at Wingham United, our best practice of this ideal is Friendship Club, a monthly potluck lunch in which people both within and beyond the congregation break bread together and visit with one another over a meal. Although I found support for having coffee hour after church when I asked a couple of years ago, it never happened because, it seems, no one wants to come early to make coffee or stay late to clean up. Thanks to Liz, Jean, and Wanda who have done this for us a couple of times. It would be nice if a few others would offer to do the same.

In the past, church suppers were not only important fund raisers for nearly all churches, but they were also important as community builders. People worked shoulder to shoulder to prepare the meal, then sat and ate with others from the community, all the while visiting, catching up, building relationships that made us community. The Covid pandemic forced those dinners to be cancelled, and they have not returned in many churches. Others now offer only take-out dinners, which still provides some of the same benefits, but not to nearly the same extent.

The United Church in recent years began calling congregations Communities of Faith. I think that’s great. It’s more than just semantics. It identifies what we need to become once again, especially in our rural churches. For the church to rebound, I think we need to make building relationship and community a priority, as it was in the past when our churches were full and coming out on Sunday morning was an important part of our week. The church must become a meeting place, not just for one hour each Sunday morning, but beyond. We need to return to the type of community where we see one another as friends and neighbours, brothers and sisters in Christ, and when we spend time together, united in a common purpose, or simply to be together as community, we begin to see the image of Christ in one another, and Jesus is revealed yet again. What do you know – yet another Epiphany!

Rev. Colin Snyder, MDiv