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Today we celebrate the Feast
of the Epiphany, the shining forth of Christ as the light of the
nations. Matthew's gospel relates the story of magi from the east who
arrive in Jerusalem after Jesus' birth seeking the newborn king of the
Jews. These scholars observed a most remarkable sight, the rising of a
new star that signaled the birth of someone of great importance. By
studying the star's location in the heavens they determined it to be the
sign of the newborn king of the Jews. The event so impressed them that
they left family and fortune behind in order to pay homage to the one
who had caused the celestial phenomenon. They journeyed to Jerusalem,
the city of David, and sought an audience with the royal family.
In Jerusalem they found the palace of Herod, the king of Judea. He was
not a descendant of King David nor did he belong to any other royal
house of Judah. At best, he was only half Jewish. The people despised
the pretender because Herod was the satellite king of the hated Romans.
Herod protected his sovereignty from family, friends, and foes with
fiendish terror. Over the years it had served Herod well to be a
good listener. When he heard that travelers from the east arrived
seeking a new king he granted them an audience. On learning the purpose
of their journey he surmised that the sign in the sky announced the long
awaited Messiah king. It was paramount for Herod to discover the
location of this threat to his authority. He summoned the scribes and
the chief priests, and asked for the birthplace of the Messiah. "How
ignorant this so-called king," they must have thought to themselves, any
educated Jew should know the Messiah will come from Bethlehem of Judah."
And so they replied. Herod shared the news with his guests and sent them
on their way, but only after he obtained from them the time of the
star's appearance. The wicked king bid them send him word of the child's
whereabouts, that he might come and worship as well.
The magi proceeded to follow
the star and came to worship the child Jesus. They were told in a dream
to return home by a different way. Joseph, the child's foster father,
was told to flee with the child and Mary, his mother to Egypt. Herod
sought to destroy all the children born around the time of the star's
appearance.
The story of the magi is the
story of how people respond differently to the coming of Christ into
their lives. Presumably the whole world saw the star, but only some
realized its importance. The Jews did not recognize the star, but the
Gentile magi did. The magi left everything to follow the star, but Herod
and the scribes and the chief priests did not. Herod was wise enough to
recognize the omen of the Messiah, yet ignorant enough to think he could
thwart God's plan with cunning violence. The scribes and the chief
priests knew all about the birthplace of the Messiah, but they didn't
care enough to inquire about the truth of the rumors. Two thousand
years later things have not changed that much. The light of the Lord
still shines. And the wise ones still seek him out!
Thank you to everyone who made this Christmas a wonderful celebration of
God’s love for us. Thanks to those who prepared the liturgies and
the environment for Advent and Christmas. Thanks to the choir
members, servers and celebrants, the parishioners and visitors, each of
you helped make it a blessed and beautiful Christmas. Thank you!
The Magi ventured through foreign lands in search of the newborn king,
Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus and fled as refugees to the land of
Egypt. This week we consider the plight of migrants everywhere. Let us
pray for their safety and welfare.
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