AHA!

Today--SAT 1/6--is Epiphany. 

Many churches, regardless of denomination, will be observing this special day in worship on SUN 1/7. 

What is an epiphany? 

According to dictionary.com, "epiphany" means "1. (initial capital letter) a Christian festival observed on Jan. 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; 12th day; 2. an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity; 3. a sudden intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience; 4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation & insight." * If I had to sum up my feeling about the word "epiphany," I would use the word, "AHA!" I'm sure most of you have experienced an "aha moment" either personally or in someone else. It's like sitting down to read a book to your young child, & he or she suddenly starts reading. Aha! Their little brains finally put it together & started reading on their own. Why do I consider Epiphany an "AHA!" After you work your way through this entry, I think you'll get where I'm coming from.
* Am I suggesting that my "literary work" is an epiphany? No, I am not.

Walking in the Truth of an Epiphany Scripture

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem & asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose & have come to worship Him.' When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, & all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests & teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people.' Then Herod called the Magi secretly & found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem & said, 'Go & search carefully for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go & worship Him.' After they had heard the king, they went on their way, & the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, & they bowed down & worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures & presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country to another route.'"  Matt. 2:1-12

Some Thoughts

Gentiles are those whose ancestry is non-Jewish. No, it DOES NOT mean that Gentiles are better than Jews. It DOES mean that while Jesus was Jewish, & the Messiah--"The Anointed One"--had been promised specifically to Jews, God never intended for the Savior of the World ["Jesus" means "one who saves."] to be reserved for Jews only. Since most of us are Gentiles, this festival resonates with me. 

Fun Epiphany Facts #1

• Jan. 6 is also the 12th day of Christmas. [Count backwards from today & you will discover the 1st day of Christmas. 
• Many churches leave Christmas decorations up thru Jan. 6. 
• Many families--including ours--leave their Christmas trees & other Christmas decorations up thru Jan. 6. 
• I don't recommend leaving your Christmas tree up thru Epiphany, if it's a "live" tree, especially since most of you probably purchased it & set it up before Christmas Eve on DEC. 24.
• FYI:  The Leckband's in Norfolk, NE, use an artificial tree. Save a tree? No. Some members are highly reactive to any pine or evergreen resin. And it's cheaper to own an artificial tree over time than purchase overpriced evergreen & fir trees every year. And we don't have to go out & find & chop down our own in bone-chilling temperatures. And we have a very attractive artificial tree, tastefully decorated, surpassing the beauty--if I may be so bold to suggest--of many natural trees.

More Thoughts

The Wise Men, who came from the east, detoured to Jerusalem before continuing their quest. It was probably a logical decision. Where else would you expect to get specific details about the newborn King of the Jews than in the capital city of Judah? Old Testament scholars were able to pinpoint the location of the Messiah's birth, which was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. Herod was worried, thinking that there might be a usurper to his throne. The Wise Men, also know as "Magi," were overjoyed & took off again.

Fun Epiphany Facts #2

• We don't know for sure where the Magi originated. We do know that magi were found in some eastern civilizations & cultures.
• It's possible that these men were astrologers, since they were following the stars even before the Epiphany Star rose in the east.
• We get the word "magician" from "magi."
• There is no OT prophecy about this specific star or any visit from Wise Men.
• Daniel, who was an Israelite captive in Babylonia hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, was a magi. [You'll have to check the OT book of Daniel if you want more historical details.]
• Is it possible that he witnessed to other magi about the coming King of the Jews? That his account was recorded & referenced by learned men over the course of hundreds of years?
• There are many theories about the celestial "event" that the Wise Men witnessed. Was it a supernova? A comet? A planetary conjunction? No one knows for sure.
• It was supernatural in that it appeared in the east w/o advance notice, & it somehow, someway led the Wise Men to Bethlehem.
• A special star could have been associated with royalty or the Kingdom of Israel, so possibly the Magi were familiar w/the prophecy recorded in their sources, observed the celestial event, & drew their own conclusions.

Some Final * Thoughts

* Finally!

The Wise Men observed the royal star again, which led them to the house in Bethlehem where Mary, Joseph, & the Infant Jesus were now living in. They recognized that Jesus was the newborn King of the Jews, whom they had been seeking. [Do you think that God may have had a hand in leading them to this conclusion? I think He did.] They presented Jesus with gifts of gold, incense, & myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod, so they took a different route back to their country. That's the last we hear of these guys. [Do you remember calling them the 3 "wise guys?" when you were young & immature. I am guilty. That may have been an immature reference, but technically that's who they were.]

Final Fun Epiphany Facts #3

• By the time the Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem, Joseph, Mary, & Jesus were no longer living in a manger. They were living in a house.
• The country where the Wise Men originated would have worshiped a plethora of gods. The Wisemen were not believers. They worship Jesus as a King, but the Bible never records that they worshiped Him as their Lord & Savior.
• Gold seems like a logical gift for someone of royalty. A gift for a king perhaps? It also could have been used to help finance the hurried trip to Egypt taken by the family. [Read about that trip in Matt. 3:13ff.]
• Incense was used in OT Jewish worship, burned by priests as a sign of God's presence & holiness. Incense was also used in eastern cultures & religions. A gift perhaps for a priest? Its fragrant smoke could have reminded Mary & Joseph that this was no ordinary baby. It also could have been sold to help finance the trip to Egypt.
• Myrrh leaves us scratching our heads. It was an aromatic resin produced by a desert plant. It was commonly used to anoint the bodies of those who had died, preparing them for a formal burial. Why give a baby a gift of burial ointment? Was this a gift prefaced on Jesus' ultimate death on the cross? After He died, he had to be entombed quickly, since it was almost the hour when the Sabbath started. There wasn't time to properly prepare the body. The women who visited the tomb on Sunday morning were seeking to finish Jesus' burial preparations. Were they surprised or what? He was NOT in the tomb.
• The Bible portrays Jesus as our Prophet, Priest, & King. Did these 3 gifts presage His roles?

A Hymn & Prayer for Epiphany

"O let the harps break forth in song! Our joy be all with music crowned,
Our voices gladly blending!
For Christ goes with us all the way--Today, t0morrow, ev'ry day!
His love is never ending!
Sing out! Ring out! Jubilation! Exultation! Tell the story!
Great is He, the King of Glory!

SOURCE:  "O Morning Star, How Fair & Bright," St. 5. Lutheran Service Book:  #395.
[My emphasis added.]