Celebrating Epiphany
Epiphany falls twelve days after Christmas, on January 6. You can use this short liturgy to add a chalk blessing to your home. We add sacred symbols to intentionally set our homes apart as places of Christian hospitality, inviting God’s presence and asking God’s blessing upon all who live or visit throughout the coming year.
Any color chalk can be used to write this symbolic blessing: 20 + CMB + 23. The numbers represent the year (2023), and the letters (CMB) stand for the Latin blessing Christe mansionem benedicat, which means “Christ bless this house.” Epiphany is also celebrated as the day the three wise ones arrived from the East to honor the newborn baby Jesus. The legendary names of those three can also be read into the Epiphany blessing, CMB for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.
A liturgy for chalking the door
All gather at the entrance to the home. A leader reads the following:
Peace be to this house, and to all who enter here.
May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is your incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen.
Say the following words as you make the chalk inscription 20 + CMB + 23 on or near your front door:
The three Wise Men, [C] Caspar, [M] Melchior, [B] and Balthasar
followed the star to Bethlehem and the child Jesus
[20] two thousand, [23] and twenty-three years ago.
[+] May Christ bless our home, [+] and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen.
Close by offering this prayer. You can follow it with the Lord’s Prayer.
Loving God, bless this household. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and abiding in your will. We ask this through Christ our Savior. Amen.
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