A Devotion for Marking the Doors

If you were raised Catholic, or if you’ve visited European countries in the winter, or even if you’ve celebrated Epiphanytide yourself, you might have seen it: a strange series of numbers and letters written above the doorway looking something like this:

20 + C + M + B + 19

Either on Twelfth Night (January 5, the twelfth day of Christmas and eve of the feast of the Epiphany), or on Epiphany Day (January 6) itself, many Christians in Europe chalk their doors with a pattern such as this.

The numbers refer to the calendar year (20 and 19, for this year); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold meaning: C, M and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar), as well as an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, "May Christ bless this house."

This tradition holds biblical roots, deeply tied to the Passover in the book of Exodus. The Israelites were told to mark their doors with the blood of the lamb on the night of the Passover to ensure that the angel of death would pass them by. Later, to remember God’s blessing and protection, the Israelites are commanded to “write [the words of God] on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, … and you shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.” (Deut 6:6-9).

For this Epiphany service, we remember this story and, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God's presence into our homes. We ask God’s blessing on our home and on those who live in or visit the home. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest within our walls, in our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows.

I began this tradition with my family in 2015 and have continued it ever since. After we take down the Christmas decorations, return the ornaments to their boxes and drag the tree to the curb, the house can feel a bit empty. Marking the door as a sign of a new year and a fresh start is a way of welcoming the newness of God in this season. The chalk, this earthly simple thing, will fade over time, but my eyes still glance at the doorframe as I arrive home each evening, May Christ Bless This House.

I particularly love this tradition in light of our Disaster Recovery work. Since I joined our staff early last year, the experience of leading home dedications and blessings for our clients has been one of the most deeply meaningful parts of my role. There is something incredibly powerful about laying your hands upon a home – the plaster smooth under your palms, the smell of fresh paint lingering in the air- and naming the space as God’s dwelling place. To be sure, God’s presence abided in those homes before the storm and during reconstruction, but there is a power in the marking, power in naming and dedicating a place with God’s blessing.

And so, as you begin 2019, I challenge each of you to find ways to welcome God’s presence anew: in your homes, your work, your relationships, your practices, your hearts and your minds.

Mark the doorframes of these places as spaces where God is welcome. Help your clients and your teams ask God’s blessing upon both the physical places we inhabit and the rooms of our spirits. In the marking and the naming, may God be welcomed and praised.

May Christ’s presence dwell within you!

Chaplain Amy

***If you’re interested in holding an Epiphany Blessing of Homes and Chalking the Door, there is a wonderful liturgy available on the UMC Discipleship website: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/an-epiphany-blessing-of-homes-and-chalking-the-door.