Does the Dog Have the Right Idea?

As I write this my dog is snoring beneath my feet. Her favorite place is in the dark space under the desk next to my feet. As I create, she dreams of younger days when she used to not sleep 18 hours a day. Her sleeping visions may take her to those paths she used to run. Now arthritis and too many dog biscuits (our fault) leave her with a tired frame which can barely get itself up from underneath the cave she visits beneath the desk.

But then maybe she has the right idea. After all we barely get the Christmas tree to the curb, the wadded up wrapping paper to the garbage, and the nativity scene back to its resting place in the attic before another terrorist tries to blow up a plane. Maybe I ought to join the dog in the comfortable dark place.

But alas it is Epiphany. The Grinch might respond, "Epiph-a-what?" Yes, the new calendar on the frig might offer us the chance to make some resolutions that will last as long as the flavor of chewing gum and the news may be so bad and dark that we want to claim our own hiding place but the Christian year once again proclaims, "the light in the darkness." Old Isaiah says in the text used for Epiphany, "Arise shine your light has come," but as soon as the old boy spouts out the supposed good news he follows it with, "a deep darkness shall cover the earth and a deep darkness the people." That's like finding that the prize in the Cracker Jax box is a ticket to an amusement park that closed last year.

But the truth is often paradoxical. The light does come at the darkest time, but it comes. Epiphany means, "to manifest the light." So let's have an epiphany for Christ's sake. I still remember my uncle using that expression when I was a little boy. "Get the kid some candy for Christ's sake," he would shout.

In case some of my relatives are reading this, the uncle was the one Dad's side of the family. He was the one that everyone thought was a bit crazy, but I always liked him. As I child I remember he smelled funny. I later found out that the smell came from the hours he spent at the local "watering hole."

Anyway, let's have some Epiphany for Christ's sake. Sure there are people who want to blow us up and yea we're still fighting two wars...sort of...but it will do no good to join my dog in the shadows. Heck, let's remember that Christmas happened even if the tree is headed for the landfill and the manger scene is tucked away. While my dog snores let's sing (for Christ's sake), "I want to walk as a child of the light, I want to follow Jesus/God set the stars to give light to the world/the star of my life is Jesus/In him there is no darkness at all/the day and the night are both alike/the lamb is the light of the city of God/Shine in my heart Lord Jesus."

Ok..I know there are dog days...but hey, it's Epiphany...for Christ's sake

Bless you
jody
jseymour@davidsonumc.org