From the Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry News Desk - January 26, 2026
(It's been a very long time since the last Wittenberg Door newsletter, dated in June of 2025. We're still here. This is the start of a new format for passing around our news, long overdue.)
We are currently in the season of Epiphany, which began on January 6, as it does every year. This is one of the earliest known annual celebrations, with recognitions as early as the fourth century. Due to a question about the revisions of the calendar, from the Julian to the Gregorian system in the 16th century, there has historically been some dispute about whether Epiphany and Christmas are the same celebration. The calendar change can be understood as displacing December 25 to January 6.
Epiphany has normalized to center on the visit of the Magi to Jesus, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, chapter two. Here they appear, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which are often seen as symbolic of Christ's kingly nature, his priestly role, and his impending death.
Within much of the Western church tradition, the season of Epiphany lasts from January 6 until the day before Ash Wednesday, which changes in date depending on the date of Easter. Traditional readings during this season focus on realizing, bit by bit, just how great Jesus is as God the Son. We are therefore invited into the remainder of the church year, with sorrow for our sin, recognition that Jesus is the one who can and will take away our sin, and a desire to look forward to the Easter season, when we specially recognize that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin through his death, and that he is the first of the resurrection of the dead.
The visit of the Magi has inspired many artists over the centuries. They often put the characters in their paintings into the guise of people of their own culture. The adoration of Jesus gives us much room to reflect on the nature of Jesus and to adore him ourselves. Here's an image of a frescoe by Giotto. The work is in the Scrovegni chapel in Padua, Italy, and is approximately six feet square. This reproduction is considered public domain in the United States and many other jurisdictions because the original artwork (fresco by Giotto) is in the public domain (the artist died in 1337).
(It's been a very long time since the last Wittenberg Door newsletter, dated in June of 2025. We're still here. This is the start of a new format for passing around our news, long overdue.)
We are currently in the season of Epiphany, which began on January 6, as it does every year. This is one of the earliest known annual celebrations, with recognitions as early as the fourth century. Due to a question about the revisions of the calendar, from the Julian to the Gregorian system in the 16th century, there has historically been some dispute about whether Epiphany and Christmas are the same celebration. The calendar change can be understood as displacing December 25 to January 6.
Epiphany has normalized to center on the visit of the Magi to Jesus, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, chapter two. Here they appear, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which are often seen as symbolic of Christ's kingly nature, his priestly role, and his impending death.
Within much of the Western church tradition, the season of Epiphany lasts from January 6 until the day before Ash Wednesday, which changes in date depending on the date of Easter. Traditional readings during this season focus on realizing, bit by bit, just how great Jesus is as God the Son. We are therefore invited into the remainder of the church year, with sorrow for our sin, recognition that Jesus is the one who can and will take away our sin, and a desire to look forward to the Easter season, when we specially recognize that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin through his death, and that he is the first of the resurrection of the dead.
The visit of the Magi has inspired many artists over the centuries. They often put the characters in their paintings into the guise of people of their own culture. The adoration of Jesus gives us much room to reflect on the nature of Jesus and to adore him ourselves. Here's an image of a frescoe by Giotto. The work is in the Scrovegni chapel in Padua, Italy, and is approximately six feet square. This reproduction is considered public domain in the United States and many other jurisdictions because the original artwork (fresco by Giotto) is in the public domain (the artist died in 1337).
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