The Epiphany
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
When I was a child and heard the Christmas story I was very intrigued by the story of the “Wise men from the East”. They were always depicted wearing bright flowing robes and coming in on camels. They also left magical gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh which were all very expensive gifts and that has left us giving them the title of “Kings”.
We generally depict there being 3 “Wise Men” though Matthews Gospel does not tell us how many there were and where exactly they are from. Are they from Babylonia or Persia or India or somewhere else in the East? These “Wise Men” were probably learned men who studied texts from different cultures and correctly discerned that the rising of this Star foreshadowed the birth of the new King of the Jews though they did not understand the kind of King that he would be. They followed the star and stopped in Jerusalem to ask where he might be born. Probably a wise thing to do as the leaders of the Israelites should most probably know where their new King was. However, none of the priests or anyone in Jerusalem’s court saw the star or if they did, they did not connect it to the birth of their savior. I think they were all caught up in what they thought it would be like when the savior was born. What if Jesus came back right now? Would we recognize him? I know that we are looking for him to come back in such a glorious fashion that all the world will easily recognize him as our savior. Is there a chance that he will not look like that when he comes back?
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| A Child is Born by Annael Anelia Pavlova |
We also tend to place the “Wise Men” with the manger scene but they came several days after Jesus’ birth and he was probably in some type of house by then. The Wise Men were the very first Gentiles to worship Jesus. They gave him great gifts and bowed down and worshipped him. They also wisely returned home a different way as they were warned that Herod would want to kill the baby Jesus.
The story of the “Wise Men” continues to intrigue me. Where were they from? How many came? What did they see in the ancient scriptures that led them to trust and follow that star to Bethlehem? What did these people see that led them to actually bow down and pay homage to this young baby born to a poor couple and to give the gifts that they did? One day I may get my questions answered but right now it is my job to continue to learn from the scriptures and to worship our one true King, Jesus.
[Editor's Note: I have included a song from Menotti's opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors". This is a wonderful piece, and I hope that some of you will take the time to start the video from the beginning to watch it in its entirety.]
Epiphany Prayer
For those who seek a Saviour
we lead them to the Stable
To the One who was born
To bring freedom
Forgiveness
Liberty
For those who seek Assurance
we lead them to the Light
To the One who opens eyes
to understanding
God's Word
Truth
For those who seek Forgiveness
We lead them to a Grace
beyond comprehension
To wholeness
Healing
Peace.
From FaithandWorship.com
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