Today we celebrate the Epiphany, or “manifestation,” of Jesus. Represented symbolically by the arrival of the gentile magi, Jesus is now made known to all the world. A tradition on this day of manifestation is to make manifest the date of Easter for the upcoming year. While we don’t have the same need of this today as they did in the days before calendars, there is an important theological point that remains true today. First, Easter goes on the calendar first. It is the most important day. Following Easter, we can then figure out the dates of many of the other feasts of the year, like Ash Wednesday and Pentecost. So many feasts move around each year depending on when Easter falls.
There’s a credit card company that asks in their advertisements, “What’s in your wallet?” Today, the more important question for us is, “What’s on your calendar?” You probably got a new calendar for the new year. So, what goes on it first? What’s the most important thing? And after that, what other things are you willing to move around to make the most important things happen? If you want to know what is really important to a person, look at how they spend their time. What are they willing to invest in? If someone looked at your calendar, what would seem to be most important? What priority does will God have in this new year? If you’re wondering what is the most important thing in your life, a good start might be to just ask, “What’s on your calendar?”