During the Epiphany season, the Church focuses on God’s awesome manifestation to the world in glorious light. The lessons for this last Sunday in Epiphany, before we go into the somberness of Lent, are rife with spectacular biblical epiphanies, with examples of Majestic Glory as the epistle puts it, with occasions of awe for those who experienced them.

My dictionary says awe is a “mixed feeling of reverence, fear, and wonder, caused by something majestic, sublime, sacred, etc.” In our sophisticated, worldly culture, folks are seldom awed by anything--or seldom willing to admit it if they are. Oh, sure, we often hear kids exclaiming, “Awesome!” over something that doesn’t come close to our dictionary definition, while adults, on the other hand, are quick to say that such experiences are just Bible stories, seeming to suggest they are not real. How sad!

God’s awe-filled epiphanies did not end when the canon of scripture was closed. Just ask anyone who has witnessed the birth of a baby, anyone who has experienced the growth of a fetus from conception to birth. Just ask anyone who has experienced a glorious dawn after a dark night of vigil. Just ask anyone who has climbed to the top of a mountain and viewed the valley below. Just ask anyone who has been healed of a life-threatening disease. Just ask anyone who has seen a rainbow after a flood of disturbing life circumstances. Just ask anyone who peeks in on a sleeping child after a day of chaos and rebellion. Just ask anyone who wakes up to the clear, bright, calm day that follows a hurricane. Just ask anyone who has a personal relationship with the Lord.

We all experience awe-full feelings from time to time. We may not be awed every day, but perhaps if our eyes were opened to see the hand of God at work in our lives, as Peter, James, and John at the Transfiguration, we would be. God continues to manifest his presence in our world when we let go of our cynicism and become open to experience the “Majestic Glory”, when we respond with awe—reverence, fear, wonder. As the psalmist says: The Holy One is great and awesome!