What is Epiphany? || 08.20.2022

We’re going to talk about the Church holiday: Epiphany! It follows the twelve days after Christmas. What is this celebration? You can read Matthew 2:1-12 to get the full context of the story, but I will synopsize it here. We celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men (Magi.) Epiphany Sunday celebrates the start of Jesus’ life leading up to his baptism. Epiphany is also a word that we sometimes use in our lives. It means “a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature of the meaning of something.” Some of you look confused. Epiphany means this sudden realization of some major in our own lives.

The magi were out stargazing and saw this one star that looked different. This star was very bright and seemed to be guiding them somewhere. They thought this star was going to lead them to Jesus. That was huge! This bright light led them through the darkness of the desert to the greatest gift we can receive at Christmas. Because of how huge this was, they had to prepare. They brought frankincense, gold, and myrrh. Each gift represents something fitting for the king, that is, Jesus. The gold is highly valued and most often only held by royalty. The frankincense is a sign that they valued Jesus as the king he would be. Myrrh was a representation of Jesus as a man. That Jesus was like us as a human. So these three gifts showed that the magi valued this baby in very high regard. The magi grab their gifts and set out for Jesus, following this big bright star. They got to Bethlehem and saw that this special star stopped over a little house. Upon entering, they met their new king, Jesus, and his mom, Mary. They knelt before him and offered Jesus their gift.

Did you see the Epiphany in this story? Remember, an epiphany is a sudden realization of something significant in our own lives. They realized that the star was going to lead them to Jesus, and lo and behold, it did! It guided them through the dark until they saw Him before their own eyes. Jesus shines bright in our lives, especially when things feel dark and gloomy around us. He also calls us to be that bright light to other people so that we can light up others’ lives when they feel things are dark and gloomy. I challenge you this week to share the identical Epiphany the magi had with others around you. Maybe your family pays for someone’s meal, delivers groceries, leaves cookies, and leaves a kind note saying how much you care for them and how much Jesus loves them. Whatever it is, know that you shone brightly in someone else’s darkness.