January 2015 – A Seminarian’s Letters Home

To the membership of Circle of Faith Parish:

Greetings to you all from Evanston, IL! Winter is definitely here now. It’s bitterly cold, there is snow on the ground, and our Christmas celebrations have come and gone. Or have they? If you’re reading this prior to January 6^th, it’s still Christmas. If it’s anywhere between January 6^th and Transfiguration Sunday, it’s the time after Epiphany, that season of light growing longer outside and light popping up everywhere in our music, our practices, and even our FELLOWSHIP, the word we focus on now as Circle of Faith.

During this season, Circle of Faith will be blessing our homes, a practice new to some of us, but a very old one in Christian history. The pastors will come by with a piece of blessed chalk, and on the door, or step, or somewhere, they will write 20 CMB 15. The letters stand for Christus mansionem benedicat – “Christ, bless this house.” In earlier days, since most people couldn’t understand Latin, the legend arose that the letters were for the names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, which is also where we get the story that there were three of them. Whether or not that’s true, Epiphany gives us an important lesson about FELLOWSHIP. Traditionally, both Epiphany and the Baptism of our Lord are days to admit new members to our community through the sacrament of baptism, manifesting God’s eternal claim on them and us, showing them being illuminated in the light of Christ. But that spills over even further.

Christ blesses more than the house – the people in it get blessed, too. We then carry that blessing out with us to share with everyone we meet. Every cup of coffee we share together, every trip we take to get to warmer climates, every meal at the café or get-together in the church basement is a chance to share Epiphany’s lengthening light, the light of Christ that came to us at Christmastime, hallowed the waters of the earth at Jesus’ baptism, and spreads throughout the earth like a brushfire, no matter how dark and cold the nights of winter may be.

Lighting the darkness with Epiphany’s light, let us pray for God’s blessing, using these words:

Almighty and ever-living God, you revealed the incarnation of your Son by the brilliant shining of a star. Shine the light of your justice always in our hearts and over all lands, and accept our lives as the treasure we offer in your praise and for your service, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. [ELW, Epiphany of our Lord]

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Your fellow member and pilgrim,

Carl P. Rabbe, M.Div.