Epiphany, also known as the 12th day of Christmas, always takes place on January 6th.
The Christian calendar shows the visitation of the Magi, or in certain translations “the wise man from the east”, before the newborn Jesus and his parents, Mary and Joseph.
In parts of Christendom, Epiphany is a day of gifts and celebrations. It didn’t take long for the tree to fall in our neck of the forest. From the prophecies of Balaam in Numbers, to the account of camels and gifts in Isaiah, to the nativity story of Matthew, through the history of biblical interpretation of Jesus’ birth, these magicians, sages, astronomers, or astrologers The Master is said to have traveled with three gifts, with or without their number.
They came from the East, from tribes, nations and peoples, beyond the arc of Alexander the Great’s conquest that stretched beyond the orbit of the Pax Romana. Look at the sky and the stars in this place beyond all familiar, signs that lead first to Jerusalem in Judea and then to Bethlehem (or Nazareth, some suggest, but the question is open) There were wise people who saw
Details are missing from Matthew’s description, but we are informed of the results. The magi traveled long distances over treacherous terrain over long periods of time. They had the audacity necessary to enter previously unknown places and approach the court of a distant king named Herod. .
Somehow the movements of the stars and planets and their position in relation to the rotating constellations tell these intrepid pilgrims that there is some sort of good news worth making the effort to see firsthand. Did. That leads me to the question.
In his 1869 book Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain said: A life of ecstasy mixed in an instant. ” Is this why the Magi came to the manger?
Conversely, Samuel Johnson in the late 1700s tells potential tourists about places in Northern Ireland:[The Giant’s Causeway] Worth a visit, but not worth the trouble of going to see it. Yet the magi continued to face dangers and distractions, not knowing for sure what or whom they would meet at the end of their journey, and certainly the temptation to turn back and go home. He was in bed and knew in his sleep where his alarm clock was, so he reached out his hand to turn it off and dozed off for another half an hour.
For me, one lesson of Epiphany is this question. What news motivates and empowers you to make such a journey? Where is the learning, knowledge and illumination you need or need to get there across the Tigris and Euphrates? do you have?
What information would hold me to ride a camel, across a desert, to go against the mighty and evil will of a king, to get for myself, to know firsthand, to meet face to face?
My epiphany of you begins a journey of light and inspiration in 2023.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher from Central Ohio. He’s made a few trips, usually just to see family. follow me.
