January 4, 2026

 

Matthew2.1-12

+Every time I hear the story we heard in our Gospel reading for today, thisstory of these wise astrologers who traveled a great distance to Bethlehem, Ihave to say.

 

Itseems so fantastical, doesn’t it?

 

Itseems so other-worldly.

 

Astrologers.

 

Followinga star.

 

Whowould do such a thing?

 

Itjust seems so other-worldly.

 

Butthen, so much of what we experience in scripture often seems other-worldly.

 So,here we are.

 

Now,I know it might seem strange that I am talking about all of this today.  

 

TheChrist child and the Magi?

 

It’sthe beginning of January, after all.

 

Christmasalready feels long over.

 

Mostof us have put away our Christmas decorations.

 

Treescame down quickly in the first few days after Christmas, the rest in the daysimmediately after New Years.

 

(NewYears seems like a long time ago too)

 

Sincewe’ve been hearing about Christmas for months, we are maybe a little happy tosee the Christmas season go away for another year by this time. 

 

We’reready to put those trappings aside and move on.

 

Thefact is: the Christmas season, for the Church, began on Christmas Eve and endedyesterday, on January 6.

 

Tuesdaywill be the feast of the Epiphany, which we are commemorating today.

 

UntilTuesday, it’s still Christmas officially.

 

Thegreens are still up (at least until after the Eucharist today)

 

But,I think Epiphany is important for us, and so we’re gonna talk about it today.

 

Andwe’re still gonna Proclaim the Date of Easter, Bless the Chalk, mark the linteland have 3 Kings Cake.

 

So,what is the Epiphany really? 

 

Well,the word itself—Epiphany—means “manifestation” or “appearing.”

 

Inthis context, it means the manifestation of God’s Messiah among us. 

 

God’sown anointed One, the Christ, God’s very Son, has appeared to us.

 

Andin the story that we hear this morning, it is the appearing of God not only tothe Jews, but to the non-Jews, as well, to the Gentiles, which we findrepresented in the Magi—those mysterious astrologers from the East. 

 

Epiphanyis all about the manifestation of God in our midst. 

 

Allof us.

 

Epiphanyis a moment of realization. 

 

Inthis feast we realize that God is truly among us—all of us, no matter our race orreligion or our understanding of this event.

 

Overthe last month or so, we, as the Church, have gone through a variety ofemotions. 

 

Adventwas a time of expectation. 

 

Wewere waiting expectantly for God’s Messiah to come to us.

 

Christmaswas the time of awe. 

 

God’sMessiah was among us and there was something good and wonderful about thisfact.

 

Epiphany,however, gets the rap for being sort of anti-climactic. 

 

Itis the time in which we settle down into the reality of what has come uponus. 

 

Werealize what has happened and we accept it and we live into it.

 

Abit of the awe is still there. 

 

Abit of wonder still lingers.

 

Inthis morning’s Gospel, the Magi  areovercome with joy when they see the star stop over Bethlehem. 

 

But,for the most part, despite the joy they felt, we are now moving ahead. 

 

Thereare no more angels singing on high for us. 

 

Themiraculous star has begun to fade by this point. 

 

TheMagi  have presented their gifts and arenow returning to home to Persia. 

 

Itis a time in which we feel contentment. 

 

Wefeel comfortable in what has happened. 

 

But,in a few weeks, this is all going to change again. 

 

Wewill soon face the harsh reality of Ash Wednesday and Lent. 

 

Now,I know it’s hard even to think about such things as we labor through the coldof January.

 

Asmany of you who know; I really despise the month of January. It’s my leastfavorite month.

 

Butthere is Ash Wednesday—just around the corner. In the middle of next month.

 

Thejoys and beauty of the Christmas season will be replaced by ashes and sackclothand, ultimately, by the Cross.

 

Butthat’s all in the future. 

 

Christmasis still kind of lingering in our thoughts today and, in this moment, we havethis warm reality. 

 

God’slove has appeared to us.

 

Godhas sent us God’s love in the form of this divine child.  

 

Andfor this moment—before the denial of our bodies in Lent, before the betrayaland torture of Holy Week, before the bloody and violent murder of Good Friday,we have in our midst, this Child.

 

Wehave God’s love appearing to us, dwelling within the most innocent and mostbeautiful form of humanity possible. 

 

Itis the Child Jesus we delight in now.

 

Fornow, we are able to look at this Child and see God’s amazing love in our midst.

 

Fornow, in this moment, we are the Magi.

 

Weare the ones who, seeking God’s promise, have found it.

 

Weare the ones who, despite everything our rational minds have told us, havedecided to follow that star of faith.

 

We,like them, have stepped out into the unknown and have searched for what we havelonged for.

 

Weare the ones who have traveled the long journeys of all our lives to come tothis moment—to this time and place—and, here, we find Christ—God’s love madehuman—in our midst.

 

Wehave followed stars and other strange signs, hoping to find some deeper meaningto our lives.

 

Wehave trekked through the wastelands of our life, searching for God.

 

Butour Epiphany is the realization that God has appeared to us where we are—righthere in our own midst.

 

Andthis is what we can take away with us this morning—on this feast of theEpiphany.

 

Thisis the consolation we can take with us as we head through these short, cold,snow-filled days toward Lent.

 

Nomatter where we are—no matter who we are—God is here with us.

 

Godis with us in all that we do and every place we look.

 

So,let us look for God.

 

Letus embody God’s love.

 

Letus be God’s Presence in this world.

 

Letus see and recognize God in one another.

 

Andwhenever we recognize God—that is our unending feast day of Epiphany.