Epiphany on the church calendar is 06 January, the day we celebrate the coming of the Magi to see Jesus. From Christmas on 25 December to Epiphany, the 6th of January, is 12 days- the 12 days of Christmas; we all know the song. Thus Epiphany Sunday is the Sunday closest to the 6th of January. Epiphany means appearance or manifestation and refers to the manifestation of the Messiah to non-Jews as represented by the astrologers or wise men or Magi. Thus the story of the Wise Men completes the revelation of God’s plan to reconcile all men and women to himself through Christ. The glad tidings of great joy announced by the angels is completed in the story of the Magi. The shepherds were the first to hear of the birth, the first to accept Jesus as Messiah and the first to witness to others about who this baby is, the savior of the world. Next come the Magi to represent non-Jews. God’s plan for the salvation of his people is complete. Praise God Amen.
I hope you would agree that we must read the Bible carefully for ourselves and not accept second or third hand information about what it says. The story of the Magi only appears in the gospel of Matthew so all we know about it is found in the 12 verses we read this morning. Let’s see what it says, and perhaps more importantly what it does not say, about the visit of thew Wise men.
How many?
Where from?
Jewish or non-Jewish?
How long did they travel?
What happened to their gifts for the child?
Lessons to learn from the story:
1.The story- It completes the revelation of God’s plan to redeem his people
2. Herod and many of the Jewish leaders- Their hearts were not prepared. Do not allow yourself to be unprepared for the second coming. They were unprepared because
A. they were too full of self interest
B. they failed to act on their head knowledge
C. they were too intent on controlling their own lives to listen to God’s plan
D. they let the rewards of society drown out God’s voice
3. The Wise Men- When you seek Jesus and find Him, you have to be prepared for your life to change and be willing for your life to go in a new direction.
AMEN!