Christmas Epiphany 2023: Preparing for the Aplocalipse

This is my Christmas Epiphany. Encyclopedia Britannica claims the Epiphany is a religions holiday commemorating the wise men's visit to the baby Jesus and Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. That I will discuss in my Christmas message. The word epiphany means an experience of a sudden and striking realization kind of like the Zen concept of enlightenment. That's the definition I use here. During life we have epiphanies or awakenings. During Christmas I usually post an epiphany describing a new understanding of events during the season.

Today I want to talk about preparing for the apocalypse but not in the way you think. We can talk about food storage. We can talk about emergency kits. We can talk about getting out of debt and having cash savings on hand. These are all very important but what I want to talk about is even more important. Today I want to talk about preparing to die and preparing to meet your maker.

I realize many people are atheists and I respect that. I personally find atheists more trustworthy than many religious fanatics because when an atheist does good it's not to get a reward it's because of their own moral conviction. Often I find religious fanatics intolerant and crazy. They obsess over tangents and miss the point entirely. Faith without works is dead. The point of following Christ is to do good. Christ said as ye sow so shall ye reap. That is natural justice.

In Buddhism the lotus represents enlightenment. Rising above the world's darkness and aspiring to something higher. For me the amaryllis has become the Christmas lotus. It is a sign of enlightenment rising above the distractions the world often provides during the season.

We all see the signs of the times. Many cry lo here and lo there. Every story has a beginning and an end. When one story ends another story begins. When this world ends it will be transformed and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. That is the eternal progression we see in the expanding universe all around us. All you have to do is look up at the stars in the night sky to see this life has a bigger purpose. We may feel insignificant but inner peace comes from understanding how it all unfolds.

Today I'm not talking about the final battle between good and evil.Today I'm talking about living the kind of life that you can be proud of. What is your legacy? How will you be remembered? Everyone makes a mark. Everyone leaves a foot print. How did you spend your dash?