Theophany and Christmas

Christmas has become different things to different people, culturally, religiously, emotionally etc. For some it is the celebration that marks the end of the year, for others it is a religious and spiritual journey of sorts, it is yet an annual social traditional occasion for some others. This worldwide fanfare portrays Christmas to be in tandem with celebration. At the forefront of this tradition is the ideology of Theophany. The relationship between god and man in different religions is special and nothing but extraordinary.Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness, beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life".Scott's definition shades some light on Theophany and how extraordinary it is. Theophany, (from Greek theophaneia, “appearance of God”), manifestation of deity in sensible form. The term has been applied generally to the appearance of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions but has in addition acquired a special technical usage in regard to biblical materials. From Zeus in the ancient Greek mythology to the gods in the many different religions across the world Theophany has a subtle evidence. Biblically, the old testament is rife with Theophanies, the burning bush in Exodus chp 3 vs 2, the visit of angels to Abraham in Genesis chp 18, the angel announcing Samson's birth to Manoah in the book of Judges chp 13 vs 20 are all telling examples amidst others. In Christmas we celebrate the greatest Theophany of all, God taking the form of man which compared to other accounts of theophany is conspicuously unique. This is unprecedented, and expresses God's supreme love for man. We are all called to reflect on the significance of this season through the prism of the greatest Theophany. LEAD IMAGE SOURCE https://unsplash.com/photos/5PQn41LFsQk