Feast of Epiphany

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 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.”  Matthew 2:1-2

Christmas day has come and gone, but now it is time to reflect on the wonders of the Incarnation. Can you even imagine what it was like? God first assumed a human nature as a tiny baby, born in a stable in the small town of Bethlehem to save us from our sins. What were Mary and Joseph thinking when some men, clearly from a distant land, got down on their knees in front of a child… not the child of a king or a noble, but the child of a carpenter?

Those men, known as kings, or Three Wise Men, or Magi, followed the Star of Bethlehem that they saw in the sky to a cave outside of Bethlehem to pay homage to the “newborn king of the Jews” as they referred to Jesus. Those men worshiped Mary’s son and gave him extravagant gifts. It turns out that the child in Bethlehem was a King, he was worthy of praise.  He may not have looked like it, he certainly didn’t look very kingly on the cross, but the Magi had no choice but to bow and worship this King.

Their journey is remembered often on Christmas Day, but is usually celebrated the first Sunday after New Year’s Day on what we call Epiphany. Epiphany is defined as being a moment of sudden revelation or insight. At Epiphany, we see Jesus being revealed to the Gentiles, the world. He isn’t just going to be the king, priest and savior of Israel. He is going to the King, Priest and Savior of ALL men.  

God had revealed to them that this boy was special. In the pages of the Bible, we learn just how special he is.  He came for me and He came for you.  He came to save us from our sins. 

So today, we celebrate!  Not only has Jesus been born, He has been revealed to the whole world! Not only did Jesus comet to save His own people, the people of Israel, He came to save all mankind.

Have a blessed day!

~Bev