From the Rectory Study - Winter
6th January 2026 - Epiphany Light
The light on this feast of Epiphany has been miraculous.
Sunrise on this Holy Day was a sight to behold, the palette of colours on the horizon a gift for those who took the opportunity to see.
I have had a joyous Christmas. My second as Rector, we saw record numbers at every service right across the Parish. From Candle-lit Carols in the Abbey, to ‘Dogs & Children too!’ in Exbury, to river bound ‘Carols on the way to the Pub’ at Buckler’s Hard, to Christingles full of delight in East Boldre, it was quite the adventure.
As we begin to take down the decorations, and get back into something vaguely resembling routine, I observe that we come away from this Christmas with a sense of transformation in the air.
Winter is the time for transformation. As the earth turns inward, so too are we designed to use this time of year for nourishment, for resting, for reflecting, and for gently growing into the people we have been made to be, once more.
The light since the equinox of the sun on December 21st has been exquisite.
The shortest day is now well behind us. As the earth begins to awaken from her seasonal respite, and as we turn back towards lighter, longer days, I pray we do so gently. Generously. Mindfully. Embracing what we have discovered in the nurturing of the Christmas Season.
This is the season of nurturing: of our communities; of ourselves; and of the adventure that is faith.
The light that Christ brings into the world is miraculous.
As we have once again celebrated God here on earth, as the Messiah, the Christ-child, we are reminded at Epiphany that that baby in the manager wasn’t born for the exclusive few, but for the inclusive many. That that inclusion, like Christ himself, breaks downs all human and earthly barriers, and acts as a bridge between all people. From all walks of life. From all nations.
The Magi knew that the bridge between heaven and earth was coming into the world and followed a star until they found it. This bridge was not in the form of a great warrior king, but a small innocent child.
The star, that auspicious exactitude of light, led the Magi to the manifestation of Divinity here on earth, whose life transformed the world.
There must have been a sense of transformation in the air on that Holy Night. That Holy Night when those who were wise knelt down before a tiny child, and knew that life would never be the same again. Their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, acting as a mystical insight into what was to come. Gold for Kingship, Frankincense for Divinity and Myrrh for Embalming.
Being together this Christmas has been a sight to behold. I pray that, like the Magi, we are inspired to journey on in our own quests of faith. I pray that we use the gifts of our Parish in this beautiful part of the world to see the signs of God’s presence here in creation. I pray that this winter, we continue to root down into the season and be nourished by the comfort that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not over come it.
So as we begin to take down the decorations, why not leave a few of those evergreens indoors. For a while, maybe leave a branch - maybe leave the whole tree! The lights on the tree though, like so many stars, we could even keep them out all the year through.
But whatever we use as our reminder, I encourage us all to choose one thing that, when we see it, we take the opportunity to notice and experience The Light all around us. God’s Light, both Miraculous and Exquisite, and so much more. And there, transformational, nurturing, inspirational, for us all. Amen.
