10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
Traditionally, January 6 is twelfth day of Christmas and for many is the day of gift giving. The Feast of the Epiphany, it is the day that Jesus was introduced to the Gentile world. If I check the dictionary for a definition of “epiphany” the first one is the visitation of the wise men on this twelfth day of Christmas, and another defines it as an “aha” moment. For the Jewish community reading this passage from Matthew, it’s an “aha” that the Gentiles are included in salvation. We kind of take that for granted. So, what can this feast day mean to us?
Think back to the moment when you accepted your faith in Christ as your Savior. Perhaps it was a gradual realization that what you have been taught over the years was true. Perhaps it was a particular event of joy or sadness that caused you to welcome Jesus into your heart. This was your epiphany. Although I had practiced my faith from the time I was a small child, I remember vividly the day that I understood what it meant to be loved unconditionally by God. I remember the freedom I felt as well as the responsibility. I felt free because I knew that I would not be loved more by being “good” and that I would never be loved less if I sinned. Wow! But I also felt that I needed to respond to that powerful love by being the best person possible.
I realized that I had been created for a purpose and that I needed to live my life praying that God would show me the path he had meant for me to follow. As you think back to your epiphany, consider what it has meant in your life and what it means for your future.
Lord, you have revealed yourself to us as you did to the wise men. As they followed the star and worshiped him, bringing gifts from their treasure, may we follow the path you have given us, gifting you with the gift of our lives. Amen.
