Epiphany
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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
Introduction
Epiphany the festival where we take one final look at the wise men's visit to Bethlehem to end the season of Christmas. They travelled fro afar to see and worship the boy Jesus (probably not a baby, approximately 2 yrs old. So this visit was later than the Nativity, the birth of Jesus)
There are many legends about this story of the wise men from the east. For instance, how many wise men were there? In the old days in the east, they believed that there were 12 men who made the journey, but now most everyone agrees there were three. One old legend even tells us the names of the three. Bearded Melchior, the oldest, gave the baby the gift of gold. Also bearded, Balthasar gave myrrh. The youngest, clean-shaven Casper, gave frankincense.
This adds colour to Epiphany, bringing the wise men more visible, but it can also get in the way. Does the story of the Wise Men need adding to? This Epiphany let us revisit the story one more time, the way it was told by Mary to her boy Jesus as she reminded him of the visit of the wise men (he w/not remember at 2 yrs old)
As I looked at it again, I was inspired by the Carol ‘We Three Kings.’
1] God Revealing.
2] God Leading.
3] God receiving (worship)
Let us look at these one at a time
God Revealing
Matthew is revealing who Jesus truly was and who he was for. The wise men from the East (not Jewish) were part of a wider world being drawn into God's family (kingdom come). Matthew (a tax collector/for Romans/non-Jewish world drawn into the kingdom). These wise men were not travelling from afar just to see a baby in a manger - they were travelling for months to see the long-awaited Messiah. Perhaps it is a fulfilment of the prophetic word in Isaiah 60:6: “Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.”
Isaiah 60:1,3 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
God is revealing that this infant - was God in the flesh - the Messiah, God revealed long before this camel trip, that these men would bring such gifts, in praise of the Lord.
When I was first ordained in 1999, the gift I received from my children was two clergy shirts - complete with dog-collars! Sad to say it but my kids understood that ordinary shirts were not used by me during day. I could tell they understood more about me by the gifts they brought.
The gifts the wise men brought revealed that Jesus was more than a manger babe.
Gold - for a king. Frankincense, to be burnt in worship. Myrrh; embalming oil – he would die for us. These wise men were revealing Jesus to be the Messiah.
Our challenge is this : God calls us to reveal Jesus to others by our words and actions for our friends and family plus our church’s ministry in Care Homes, Schools, and the food kitchen.
God Leading
God was leading the wise men, long before they met infant Jesus. Did you see the Geminid Meteor shower 13/12/25? Colourful shooting stars. Fascinating. The wise men from the East Magi, studied the stars/planets [Astrologers, not kings]. Clearly, there is a spiritual hunger in them to find out more about the Messiah. God was on the case - drawing them thro their interest in the stars - God meeting them where they are - the Stars). Numbers 24:17 'From the mountains of the east…a star will come forth out of Jacob… a comet will arise from Israel.'
God is not restricted to trad methods or one way of seeking him (via the Bible, God TV, church, conventions, crusades, tracts, books).
Recent research from Bible Society says there is a quiet awakening (esp Gen Z). A turnaround in church attendance – it is now on the up. Something is happening.
We are not testifying in isolation. The Epiphany story says even the stars were servants to the good news that Christ was born. The whole universe kneels before Jesus to serve him. Whatever this new star was (supernova), God used it to announce the birth of the Saviour of the world - the light to the great darkness of the world Isa 60.
Mary was a patient at St Mary’s Hospital. She had had a stroke. One Sunday, she was invited to the Service in the chaple. The Holy Spirit met her where she was.
She gave her life to the Lord in that SMH Service. Today at St Paul’s Church, she is leading Ukulele group. God is ahead of us, God leading towards an encounter with himself. Understand this, we are not operating in isolation and we must not give up on praying for our loved ones and friends and neighbours. Pray for them to respond to the gospel. God will use our prayers. God leads us to opportunities to reach out to others. God leading.
God receiving (worship)
When the wise men saw Jesus, Matthew 2v11 - they knew he was God with us - They knelt down and worshipped him & v 10 ' how happy they were, what joy was theirs'. Jesus receiving worship. Let me just say, if a dignitary or even the King walked into this church right now, we would all probably stand in respect and a kind of awe.
It is the King after all, but he is not God. The wise men couldn’t help themselves; their overflow was worship. Matt 2v11 They knelt down and worshipped Him - how happy they were, what joy was theirs.
Is that our reaction this Epiphany to our Lord Jesus? Are we unashamed in worship? Are we demonstrative in worship? Are we deliberate in worship?
If you can make one more resolution in 2026 - I ask you to resolve to worship Jesus in prayer & praise & word in a deeper way - Not the baby ‘Christmas Jesus’ but our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is another challenge, as there is a great interest in the planets at this time, so, we can talk about the creator of life to our friends and family.
This Epiphany let us remember God is ahead of us, revealing who Jesus truly is and leading us to people for an encounter with him - meeting them where they are. Let us resolve to truly worship Jesus - God with us.
Cover Photo Jason Swain Photography https://jasonswain.co.uk/
