The Miami Herald had an article just before Christmas about a study done by social scientists who reported that women working outside the home today experience less happiness than women in the working world in 1970. Obviously, salaries and opportunities for women have increased dramatically in 45 years, but according to the researchers, in 1970 all women were aware of and accepted that there was this impenetrable glass ceiling. But today some women have progressed well beyond that ceiling. As a result, many women who don’t rise above a lower middle management position feel discouraged about their own accomplishments – by comparison.

Sounds a little nutty doesn’t it? My wife’s reaction to the article was “I bet the researchers were all males.” Or maybe it sounds just about right. Maybe it sounds exactly like a humanity forever tainted by sin. God encourages us to draw comparisons only with ourselves. To ask ourselves…have I grown in faith, in hope, in trust since last month or last year? But what is our focus? How am I doing compared to Tom next door, or my sister up north?

Of course, we can all come up with an even better illustration of this particular component of our sinful human condition. It’s called Facebook and it is an institution that apparently torments many users with symptoms of depression. Counselors trace it to what they call the Facebook relationship – people feeling bad about their lives because relatives and friends are posting pictures online of all the exciting things they are doing or scenes of their perfect family interacting in ways that would make anyone else’s family look positively dysfunctional by comparison. I have relatives who aren’t above posting a Facebook picture in a restaurant of their 2 lb lobster, with the implied caption…You see, my life really is better than yours!

This morning we observe the feast of Epiphany. It is that post-Christmas celebration that is usually associated with the Wise men finding Jesus by a star, having traveled hundreds of miles to get to Bethlehem. So Epiphany is a good name for this occurrence. The word comes from the Greek and it means manifestation, or ‘striking appearance’ or – my favorite – ‘showing off’.

So this is God’s first opportunity to show off the Christ-child to someone besides the neighbors. If only God had had social media at His disposal – a great big Facebook announcement. Because, the shepherds witnessed the angels in the sky and came running, but only from a nearby field. The cows and oxen and whatever other animals in the stable saw the baby, too, but their only thought was, “You guys aren’t planning to move in are you?” But the wise men. This is the Epiphany of God having come into the flesh. Because these guys were from another part of the world. And they weren’t Jewish. They weren’t familiar with any divine promise of a Savior King. They were just determined to follow this inexplicable star in the sky to its logical conclusion.

Yes, God made his promise of a Savior originally to this lone remnant of Israel, these Hebrew people who had tried their best to remain faithful to His promise. But when it came time to deliver His own son into the world, clearly this Savior has been prepared for the whole world, not just the children of Israel. This Epiphany, this being made known, was for the whole world – but it was going to be the whole world one person at a time. That’s how the gift of faith works, doesn’t it. I can tell you what you might believe. You can tell me why I might believe. But each of us will have to decide how we will believe.

Your faith and my faith are never exactly the same. These matters of faith in Jesus as Lord are very personal matters, between us and our Lord. And Epiphanies are very personal. And for people like us who measure everything about ourselves in relative terms, that is an important lesson to learn.

Think of it! In a world where we verify whether we are smart or average, rich or poor, skinny or heavy, attractive or homely, tall or short based solely on how we compare to everyone around us, imagine your gift of faith as being yours alone. Because you may not have your own epiphany until you do.

Soren Kierkegaard told a parable once that illustrated this. There once was a prince who lived in a beautiful castle. His father was king of a vast empire and so he was a wealthy and powerful heir to the throne. As one of his duties, the prince would periodically ride through the countryside in the royal carriage, surveying the empire. On one of these trips, he was passing through the royal farms where peasants were working in the fields. He happened to be looking out the window and gazed upon a young woman working in the field and he was immediately struck by her beauty. He was so taken by her that, in succeeding weeks he instructed the carriage driver to travel down that same road, hoping to get another glimpse of the girl. After gazing upon her beauty on a few more occasions, the prince became convinced he was in love with the peasant girl. But now, what to do? He could simply stop the carriage and introduce himself, present her with expensive gifts for her and her family and help her see the riches that awaited her if she would become his wife. But deep down, he knew that love that was acquired through bribes was really no love at all and would not be satisfying.

He considered stopping the carriage, introducing himself and ordering the young woman to the castle to be his wife. She would have to comply. He was the prince, after all! But love that is forced, again, is not real love and would be meaningless.

Finally, he decided what he would do. He would get rid of his wealthy wardrobe and fancy accoutrement and he would move into the neighborhood where this peasant girl lived. He would get a job in the village, maybe as a carpenter. He would do his best to have some chance encounters with her in the neighborhood or the marketplace. And he would introduce himself and eventually communicate his deep affection for her. And if she responded in kind and loved him as well, only then he would reveal his true identity.

This is really a parable of Christmas isn’t it? And Epiphany as well! God knew that no matter how many centuries of time passed we would never find our way to Him on our own. So it became necessary for God to become like us, so that He could reach us – one child of His at a time. Christmas is God becoming like us. Epiphany is God reaching out to each one of us individually to make Himself known.

Maybe one or two of your Facebook friends want to convince you that your life is dull and uneventful. Maybe you tasted a little of that over Christmas if you are an empty nester who just can’t help longing for what once was in your household. If all of your benchmarks of successful living relate to comparing yourself to everyone else you know, you are headed down a road of discouragement and emptiness. And it’s time for another Epiphany! It’s not too late!

You may have already quit your New Year’s resolutions to diet and lose weight or quit smoking, or give up on the Dolphins. But you have wisdom coming out of your ears. It is the wisdom of childlike faith that knows everything else will pass away. One thing matters. One thing is important, because only one thing lasts into eternity – and that is the Christ-child who grew up into the Savior of the world. He will be raised up to die on a cross so that you can be made right with God and experience your own epiphany of faith renewed.

Out with the old and in with the new! Still leading! Still proceeding – He guides us to His perfect light! Amen