 |
| Experience the story: click the image above to listen. |
The Daily Devotional
Monday, January 5, 2026
Bridging the Gap: The Rhythm of Revelation
Introduction
Today marks the Twelfth Day of Christmas, traditionally known as "Twelfth Night" or the Eve of Epiphany. In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, we receive "Twelve Drummers Drumming." Unlike the quiet intimacy of the manger, drums are loud, rhythmic, and public. They set a cadence for marching; they announce an arrival.
As we stand on the precipice of Epiphany—the season where Christ is revealed to the wider world—we are being called to move from the quiet adoration of the stable to the active rhythm of mission. We are transitioning from receiving the Light to becoming the Light.
Reflection
On this day, January 5, 1933, construction officially began on one of the most iconic structures in the world: the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At the time, critics called it "the bridge that couldn't be built." Engineers faced seemingly insurmountable odds: ferocious tides, swirling fog, deep waters, and howling winds. Yet, they persisted because a connection was needed. The bridge was designed to span the gap between the isolated Marin Headlands and the bustling city of San Francisco, turning an impossible divide into a pathway of connection.
Spiritually, we stand at a similar construction site today. Christmas was the "receiving"—the moment God entered our humanity in the manger. But if we keep Christ only in the manger, we fail to span the gap. The season of Epiphany is the bridge that connects the holy mystery of the Incarnation with the gritty reality of the rest of the world.
Just as the Golden Gate required deep foundations to withstand the tides, our faith requires the deep grounding of the last twelve days to withstand the "winds and fog" of daily life. The "Twelve Drummers" provide the heartbeat for this work. They remind us that faith isn’t static; it has a rhythm. It moves. We are called to be the engineers of grace, spanning the gap between the sacred and the secular, carrying the message of love from the sanctuary out into the streets.
Application
How can you be a "bridge" today? The ancient tradition for Twelfth Night is "Chalking the Door." believers would use chalk to mark their entrance with the year and the initials of the Magi (C, M, B—which also stands for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, "May Christ Bless this House").
Whether or not you physically chalk your door, visualize your front door today not as a barrier to keep the world out, but as a gateway to let the light out.
The Challenge: Identify one "gap" in your life—a strained relationship, a misunderstood neighbor, or a place where hope seems missing. Make a conscious effort to extend a "plank" of kindness across that divide today. Let the rhythm of your actions drum up hope for someone else.
Conclusion
The Twelve Days of Christmas conclude not with a whisper, but with a drumroll. We have spent this time gazing at the Light in the manger; now, as Isaiah commands, we must "Arise and shine." Like the Golden Gate Bridge, let your life be a structure that connects God’s glory to a world waiting in the fog. The celebration is ending, but the revelation is just beginning.
Prayer
God of the Morning Star, as the sun sets on this Christmas season and rises on the season of Epiphany, I ask for the courage to carry Your light forward. Like the engineers who spanned the impossible waters, grant me the perseverance to bridge the gaps of division and despair in my own community. Let the rhythm of my life beat in time with Your heart for the world. As I cross the threshold from the manger to the mission field, may my words and actions reveal Your glory to those I meet. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment