Epiphany

The church in which I grew up did actually celebrate Epiphany.  No matter what night of the week it was, we went to church on January 6th.  The sanctuary was still decked out in all its Christmas splendor, and the candles were lit in the stained glass windows.  The service was quiet, reflective, beautiful.  It was about journey, discovery, revelation, seeking, and finding.  And it was one of the avenues by which God taught me to seek Him.

Much of the church calendar is simply a journey through the Scriptures, with pauses for reflection, repentance and celebration at appropriate moments.  Today, Epiphany, is a reflective celebration day, and centers around the story of the wise men from the east who came to worship Jesus.

Reading their story again tonight, I was awestruck.  These men - however many there actually were - travelled a really long way to give Jesus some rather unusual presents.  They came, they worshiped - and then they went home.

(I wonder what they talked about - or if they even talked at all - on the way home...)

There is so much to learn from these wise men.  They were God-seekers; they were people who paid attention to the signs of the times.  They were faithful, determined, persistent.  And they were worshipers.

There may have been days when they were tired - desperately tired - but they kept on, and they reached their goal.  They sought Him - and found Him - and worshiped Him.

May we do the same this year.
Amen.