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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The Book of Common Prayer says that by sharing Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side posing the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog will try to answer that.

It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As it says in Luke 24:45: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.) 

And this thought ties them together:

The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

Last year I posted on December 17, 2023, but then not again until January 6, 2024. This year I last posted on December 31, ’24, and it’s now January 12, 2025, so I’m getting a bit better. (A 12-day lapse instead of 20.) I also had better luck this past December, driving up to Massachusetts and back, for a family Christmas up there and then one down here in the ATL.

Back in December ’23, driving home, I caught some kind of nasty bug in Wilkes-Barre PA, which led to a “sore throat of Biblical proportions.” Which became a long period of recuperation when I could hardly swallow. (Helped in large part by “generic NyQuil, DayQuil, and lots of new-discovered Vicks VapoCOOL Severe cough drops.” By the way – I wrote – “Those things work great!“) But before getting back to Epiphany ’25, a word about the lead painting above.

The painting recalls the Massacre of the Innocents, from the Feast Day back on December 28, the fourth of the 12 Days of Christmas. I’ll have more on that in a few, but it reminds us that with Jesus, our times of suffering lead to the ultimate hope of redemption. (Not that there’s any connection to current events or anything.) And speaking of 12 days of Christmas, the Feast of Epiphany – celebrated each January 6 – officially ends that shortest of church seasons:

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the festive Christian season beginning on Christmas Day … that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, as the Son of God. This period is also known as Christmastide… The Feast of the Epiphany is on 6 January [and] celebrates the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) and their bringing of gifts to the child Jesus. In some traditions, the feast of Epiphany and Twelfth Day [or “Twelfth Night”] overlap.

Which covers a lot of ground and leads to another tidbit: Aside from being The Epiphany, January 6 and some days close to it – sometimes they overlap – include Plough Monday, Three Kings Day (as in, “We Three Kings of Orient are”), and – as noted – Twelfth Night. To review, the Epiphany “celebrates the revelation of God the Son as human in Jesus Christ:”

The observance [of Epiphany] was a general celebration of the manifestation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It included the commemoration of his birth; the visit of the Magi[and] all of Jesus’ childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist…

One of those “childhood events” in the life of Jesus was His having to get circumcised. (A subject “good Christians” don’t like to talk about much.) That event is celebrated each January 1, as the eighth day after Jesus was born. (Assuming that happened on Christmas Eve.)

On January 1st, we celebrate the Circumcision of Christ. Since we are more squeamish than our ancestors, modern calendars often list it as the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, but the other emphasis is the older. Every Jewish boy was circumcised (and formally named) on the eighth day of his life, and so, one week after Christmas, we celebrate the occasion when Our Lord first shed His blood for us. It is a fit close for a week of martyrs, and reminds us that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Him. (E.A.)

So much for reviewing some of the 12 Days of Christmas, but one more thing: January 6 also starts the Season of Epiphany, which runs from the day of Epiphany to Ash Wednesday. (In 2025 it comes on March 5, almost a month later than 2024’s February 14, Valentine’s Day, which I found highly ironic if not incongruous.) And Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent.

Put another way, Epiphanytide runs from January 6 to the Tuesday just before Ash Wednesday, what we call Mardi Gras. (Which in turn means this year Easter comes on April 20.) But, do you see a pattern here? Mardi Gras, Lent and then Easter? These alternating times reflect how life moves in cycles, as shown in both secular politics and the Spiritual Calendar of the Church. And we too tend to alternate between times of spiritual challenge – when our faith is sorely tested – followed by a celebration of the spiritual growth we just experienced.

Or put it this way: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” A time to be born and a time to die. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to keep and a time to throw away. Which means if you are weeping now – metaphorically or otherwise – you can be sure that after any coming times of challenge, there will be a celebration in your future. (Even if it takes four years.) In the meantime:

Here’s hoping for a happy and prosperous “Epiphany 2025…“

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The upper image is courtesy of the Wikipedia article, “Massacre of the Innocents,” remembered on December 28, “the fourth day of Christmastide.” Caption: “Triumph of the Innocents by William Holman Hunt.” See also The triumph of the Innocents by William Holman Hunt:

Hunt paints a detailed scene where the Holy Family travels in the dead of night, accompanied by the spirits of the innocent children slain by Herod… Hunt delves into the spiritual significance of this journey, highlighting Mary’s compassion for the innocents and the divine mercy bestowed upon them. Through rich imagery and deep symbolism, the narrative emphasizes the connection between suffering, salvation, and hope, ultimately portraying the triumph of innocence amidst grief. 

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

“Feast days” are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days: Celebrating the Church’s Calendar.

For this post I borrowed from 2017’s To Epiphany – “and BEYOND,” On the Epiphany SEASON – 2022, and “Happy Epiphany, 2024!” (Not to mention Epiphany, circumcision, and “3 wise guys,” from January 2016.) A side note: Last year I noted that 2024 was “a Leap Year, meaning we get an extra day, on Thursday, February 29,” and that there was “an election coming up in November, which ‘may determine the future of the Free World.’” But of course, all that’s behind us now…

Re: The 12 Days of Christmas as the shortest church season. See Liturgical year – Wikipedia, from which you could argue that the Easter Triduum – Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday – is the shortest, but I’d say those three days are all part of Lent. (I suppose it depends on how you “define your terms,” a quote attributed to Voltaire and Socrates.)

As to the “to everything” notes, see Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV), and also Turn! Turn! Turn! – Wikipedia.

On a related subject see also Topical Bible: Growth Through Trials:

The concept of growth through trials is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating how adversity and challenges can lead to spiritual maturity and a deeper relationship with God… Trials serve to purify and strengthen faith, ultimately bringing glory to God.

Citing 1 Peter 1:6-7, and also Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4.

The lower image is courtesy of Mardi Gras – Wikipedia. Captioned: “Mardi Gras Day, New Orleans: Krewe of Kosmic Debris revelers on Frenchmen Street.” (I used it in last year’s post…)

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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. From the Old Testament, Psalm 9:10, “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.” (In the Version in the Book of Common Prayer.) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly.  (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:

…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

So in plain words, I take issue with what I came to call “Christian first graders.” Those who stay in a kind of elementary school, and maybe even never go beyond first grade. See John the Baptist, ’24 – and “Christian First Graders,” for more detail. But the key point: “The Bible was designed to expand your mind,” not keep it narrow. Also, the idea that “Jesus was anything but negative. His goal was for you to grow and develop into all that you can be.” (For more on that see ABOUT THE BLOG, above.)

Before that post I wrote that the blog takes issue with boot-camp Christians, the Biblical literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible can offer so much more than their narrow reading can offer…  (Unless you want to stay a Bible buck private all your life…) Now, about “Boot-camp Christians.” See for example, Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?”  The gist of that post is that starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by“learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.” 

However, after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training. And as noted in “Buck private,” one of this blog’s themes is that if you want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*” In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”

Re: “mystical.” Originally, mysticism “referred to the Biblical liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” See Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism.  (“That’s what the Bible was originally about!”) See also Christian mysticism – Wikipedia, “In early Christianity the term ‘mystikos’ referred to three dimensions, which soon became intertwined, namely the biblical, the liturgical and the spiritual or contemplative… The third dimension is the contemplative or experiential knowledge of God.” As to that “experiential” aspect, see also Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Wikipedia, on the method of theological reflection with four sources of spiritual development: scripture, tradition, reason, and “Christian experience.”

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?