Epiphany Is Here

Happy Epiphany Season!  ¡Felices Dias de Epifanía!  Epiphany is the manifestation of Christ to the people of the earth.  The season is four to nine weeks, starting with the Feast of the Epiphany through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  The coming of the Magi is celebrated on January 6, and the Baptism of our Lord is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Epiphany.

Epiphany Shadow Box
Paper Craft Crew Challenge 655 - Vertical Sketch Challenge
Art For Fun Friday 191

To commemorate the season, I made this piece using the We R Memory Makers' Shadow Box Punchboard and Hinge Punch set, as well as Desecraft's Wrapping Book Covers card stock.  I was inspired by the Paper Craft Crew's sketch for the cover, and used the Simon Says' Cornerstone Seal die cut; a Sizzix Tim Holtz Scroll Bigz die; and a marker to write the Matthew 2:2 Bible verse in Spanish.  Inside, I used a Sizzix Tim Holtz Wise Men Thinlits.  I used different adhesives, including foam dots to assemble my piece.

I Love You Valentine Card
Freshly Made Sketches #718
Friday Face Off 1/8/2026

For my next piece, I decided to be proactive and make a Valentine's Day card, inspired by Amy's Freshly Made Sketch.  I flipped the slope's direction, so my car could go up hill.  I also kept the background very simple, and only did doodling to keep my design clean.  I used the Sizzix Tim Holtz Road Trip Colorize Thinlits set; a Benecreat Cowboy die cut set; Feemkota Heart Balloon die cuts; a Martha Stewart sun hand punch; and various scraps of paper.  I had fun drawing a beard and adding white hair to the figure to look like me, for Friday Face Off.  LOL!

St. James Evening Shot
Word Art Wednesday - Weeks 734-735
What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 866/86

My third project is a photograph of St. James Episcopal Church, in Del Rio, Texas, where I serve as their Rector.  I pasted the scripture from this week's Word Art Wednesday challenge blog, using the Procreate app in my iPad.  I felt the clean lines, white stucco, and serenity of my church were the perfect background.

Ana's Rosca
Little Things Thursday

I'm also sharing a photo of a Rosca de Reyes that my oldest daughter made to celebrate Epiphany.  She is gluten intolerant and loves to bake, so she made her own.  The circular shape symbolizes God's eternal love, with no beginning or end.  The Candied fruit stands for the jewels in the crowns of the Three Wise Men.  The sweetness alludes to the brotherhood of those who share it, and the joy of the celebration.  There's also a baby figurine hidden inside the rosca in remembrance of the birth of Jesus.

Finally, here's the closing paragraph to my sermon for the First Sunday after Epiphany:

Jesus’ baptism is the proclamation, foundation, and pillar for human solidarity that crosses boundaries of race, nationality, socio-economics, and religions.  Through Jesus’ Baptism and ultimate Crucifixion, the fractures in the human heart can be healed.  All of us are called to live in solidarity with God and all others, regardless of who the other may be.  It’s a must, because God did it first.  It’s the only way we will ever survive the bangs of life; the only way we can ever form new relationships and reconcile old ones; and the only way in which righteousness, social justice, and integrity will be fulfilled.  We may not be able to solve the current headline problems of the world with an equal bang, but we have a moral obligation to respond in love through all our words and actions.  So help us God.

Thanks!  ¡Gracias!  Shalom!

Arnoldo+