This is Epiphany Sunday and I Had an Epiphany

An epiphany is an "ah-ha" moment – when a light comes on in our minds and we suddenly understand something. The original epiphany occurred when three “wise” kings saw a star like none other they had ever seen. This star led them to the Christ child. “Aha! This is the king we have been waiting for!”

I'll segue here for a personal moment. I wonder why God didn’t let a woman, with all our attention to details, give explicit facts about the story of the three kings, or is it three magi, or were they wise men? Only the disciple, Matthew, writes about the magi and he sure wasn't detail-oriented. He told us about the wise men visiting the Holy Family, but he left out the details of how long after Jesus was born did the wise men come? How far did they travel? How old was Jesus when they arrived? Where were they from? The East? Matthew, just East? How did they know to follow THAT star? Were there only three who came? One for each gift? Or were there more than that?

At my church today, I’ll be reading the passage in Isaiah 60 that prophecies this “LIGHT has come”. It says “Nations shall walk by Your Light." Isaiah prophecied that “caravans of camels shall fill you, all from Sheba bearing gold and frankincense and praises to the Lord.” So, Matthew, were there camel caravans that came to the Holy Family and not just three wise kings? C’mon Matthew! Details, we need details!”

Oh, but, I get it, Matthew! I have an “epiphany”! I have an aha moment. Matthew, you are a wise and articulate Gospel writer. You knew this story really wasn’t about the wise men. It was and IS about Jesus. What’s important isn’t the details about the wise men, it’s that God is here, among us, in human flesh and blood. God revealed this to the wise men, and He uses the wise men to reveal it now to us. Indeed they were WISE.

It's not that “wise men still seek him”, as the saying goes, It's not that we should seek signs from God in the stars, and not that we should travel great distances to get to Jesus. All those things are about the wise men, what they did; and about us, what we should do. To the Wise Men, their journey was about only one thing: Jesus. They came to fall down and worship Him. And why did they? For one reason only: God wanted them to know that their Savior had come. Not just the Savior of the world or the wise or of the good, but their Savior. That’s why He sent the star. And that’s why they fell down and worshipped him.

Epiphany comes to teach us again about our God. The one, true God. The only One who will not let us down, leave us, or fail us. The only One who keeps His Word and all His promises - even when that means being born as a baby and dying on a cross. The wise men had gods where they came from, so if just any god would do, why bother? And if any religion will do, why make the journey to Bethlehem? These wealthy wise men who seemed to have it all, knew they didn’t. They fell down and worshipped the One Who did. And Who could give them what they needed most. It didn’t matter that He was just a child. The Word made flesh was the gift that had come for them.

I will read and triumphantly declare an AHA – an Epiphany today! “Arise, shine, for your Light has come!”, said Isaiah. And this Light is for all people. For that’s what worship is -- not what we do for God, but what God does for us. In worship, we receive what we need. We come as sinners for forgiveness. We come unworthy to be made worthy. We come with doubts and fears and we hear His Word of promise and assurance. We come hungry and are fed by Him -- His own Body and Blood.

The wise men left wiser for they saw what no earthly learning could reveal to them -- their Savior. And they received what no earthly treasures could buy - eternal life. And so do you and I.
And that’s what Matthew wants us to know. The details about the wise men? Neh. Details aren't important. Epiphany, when the light goes on. The real Light - not just the Christmas lights that shine for a while, but the Light we need all year round. The Light in our darkness. The Light that changes everything. The Light of Jesus Who we worship anywhere and any time.

Maybe, just maybe, God will use you and I as one of His “wise men and women,” We get it. We really get Him, and we, too, fall down and worship Him.

Have You Ever Had an Epiphany?

You know that sudden realization – that aha moment – when you suddenly understand the reality of something or the meaning of something. I've had many “epiphany” moments when I could see clearly what someone meant when that said "that" or when I’m reading passages from the Bible that I’ve read dozens of times before, but this time, I really understood it. It was a “revelation” -- a revealing – an epiphany! The lights came on!

Now, let's turn back time to the arrival of the Three Kings aka Magi aka Wise Men to the home of the Holy Family. This is Epiphany 101 -- the realization, aha moment, the revelation, the "epiphany" that the little baby boy that they were coming to worship is the Messiah, the Son of God. Were they "star" struck? Was there a glow around the child? Were there angels singing and little drummer boys playing and was Mary kneeling before Him in wonder and likewise, was Joseph just standing there gawking at his boy while hanging on to his shepherd's staff? Were all the animals lying down in a panoramic view of the holy scene? It's all debatable because theologians differ on whether it was at the manger or two years later at the Holy Family's home but one thing is for certain -- those men had studied the prophecies of the coming Messiah because they said, “We have seen His star in the East and were determined, by faith, to go and worship Him."

Today, January 6th is Epiphany Sunday and the 12th day of Christmas. It officially marks the end of the festive season of Christmas for Christians. That’s why so many of us wait until after this day to take down our Christmas decorations.

Epiphany is a Greek word which means “manifestation.” Today, we celebrate how God manifested His glory to the Magi. First, they saw THE star and chose to follow it all the way to Jesus. Second, when they found Jesus, besides offering “baby shower gifts” of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they humbled themselves, knelt down and worshipped Him. And, third, the result of their offering and worship was they went home changed. Talk about getting a “return” on your investment!!

And this is how the “flow chart” of our lives should look. Every day we should be choosing to follow THE STAR -- following Jesus. That’s the choice we make on a daily basis – in our workplaces, homes, schools, and communities -- honoring and worshipping our King, our Messiah, the Great I Am. The Magi saw more than a star. They saw God incarnate – divine God and man and when we seek Him, we’ll find Him. It begs us to fall on our knees to worship Him in honor of Who He is and what He has done for us.

The Wise Men were changed forever. They never went back to King Herod and his ungodly ways. “Normal” was no longer an option. They had an EPIPHANY. They had seen the glory of God manifested in that little boy -- God wrapped in human flesh.

And, because we are also WISE men and women, who see, hear, go, worship and adore the Son of God, everything changes for us, too! How can we go back to our old ways and patterns and inconsistencies once we’ve had an EPIPHANY of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our lives?

Holy Spirit, please fill us up with the glory and manifestation of Jesus. May His glory change our way of thinking, acting, and helping others to have an EPIPHANY in their lives, too!

Celebrating Epiphany -- The Wise Men Showed Up to Worship

Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas, falls on January 6th (but celebrating on the closest Sunday -- today, the 8th) and it marks the official end to the wonderful season of Christmas. That’s why so many of us wait until after this day to take down our Christmas decorations. Epiphany means manifestation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ. It marks a visit to the baby Jesus by the Three Kings, or Wise Men.

Most manger scenes include those three wise men, but, in reality, the wise men didn't even actually appear until about two years after Christmas. Tradition has led us to assume many things about these men that the Bible doesn't tell us. For one, they're referred to as “kings,” which is probably not accurate. To call them wise is probably fair, as the mostly likely possibility is that these men were astrologers and the Bible doesn't give the number of men. All we know for sure is that they brought three gifts on their long journey from the East.

These men had seen a very unusual star that signaled to them the birth of divine royalty. So, like captains charting a course by the stars in the middle of the vast ocean, these men set off to “follow” the star. Their journey brought them to Judea. And assuming that the star indicated a birth in the house of the ruler, they went first to King Herod's home.“Where is the King of the Jews?” they asked Herod. That question was the beginning of Jesus’ troubles. Herod didn’t like the question, because he WAS the King of the Jews, and the fact that it was being asked by some foreigners who had journeyed from a distant country was even more troubling to the king. The thought that there was a rival to his throne was terribly disturbing for him.

So we get the sense that a plan began to form in Herod’s head. But first, he needed to know where this newborn King of the Jews was. Herod sent the men out to find the baby, then to report back where he was. So the men go, continuing to follow the star that had led them there to Judea. And sure enough, it led them right to the doorsteps of the home of Mary, Joseph and their child Jesus.
Reader’s Digest once posed the question “What if God had called 3 Wise Women instead of 3 Wise Men? If 3 women.....

1. They would have asked for directions to the stable instead of going to King Herod.
2. They would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby.
3. They would have cleaned the stable and brought practical food for the family to eat – like a casserole.
4. And there would have been peace on earth!”
LOL!

Back to this intriguing story. Matthew 2:11 says that immediately upon entering the house, the wise men knew they were in the presence of the most wonderful king to ever been born. They fell to their knees to honor and worship Him, and they offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Not such practical gifts, like a casserole or diapers for a year, but most definitely...valuable gifts. A gold brick in today’s time is worth about $485,000 and in that day it would have probably been even more valuable. Those gifts probably sustained the Holy Family for many years to come. Now that's what I call "a baby shower"!

Those wise men brought gifts to Jesus, but Jesus gave them, and us, back so much more -- an even greater gift. He came here to this earth ON PURPOSE. He became one of us so that He could GIVE to us the gift of a “PAID IN FULL” bill. He gave us the gift of forgiveness and a pardon from ever having to pay for the mistakes we make. He gave His ALL!

All we have to do is receive and take the gift. And once we do, we won't be able to help ourselves -- we will want to give back to Him in worship with everything we are and everything we have. We honor and worship Him. When we experience His love, like the Wise Men, we MUST give and we MUST worship Him, not because we’re required or have to, but because we want to honor, adore and worship our KING of all KINGS!