Time for the Wise Men

--Adoration of the Magi, Murillo

Epiphany- God disclosing God's presence to people.

No, they didn't see Him in the manger. No, they weren't standing next to the shepherds. Matthew tells us they went to a house, guided by the star. There they worshiped and adored Him.

Epiphany - an appearance of God to man.

As Wikipedia puts it:

Christian iconography has considerably expanded the bare account of the Biblical Magi given in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-11) and used it to press the point that Jesus was recognized, from his earliest infancy, as king of the earth.

Epiphany - Realizing the depth of spiritual power of some event or situation.

That's today. Epiphany. January 6, the date of tradition of the Magi. But we have all taken down the Christmas decorations. Wise Men? Magi? Didn't we do that 12 days ago?

No, not really. That was the birth. This is The Revelation. The Revelation beyond the streets and alleys of Bethlehem. The Revelation to The World that Jesus is The King. As so much of what happens in the Bible, events are often metaphors- living parables- from which to learn more than is there on the surface. The Wise Men (they are not kings) are sages, seers, astrologers, early magicians, even. They were outside the Jewish tradition. They were involved in pagan things.

Yet here they are in Bethlehem of Judea, birthplace of the line of the great King David bowing down before the infant King. It's not about us- the insiders of the faith. It's about them- the ones beyond the doors and walls of "orthodox" faith. Which is why this is often seen as a day to celebrate mission work. In this day when we speak of the "missional" church maybe this should be the central day of the church's self-celebration.

So take a moment as a modern day pilgrim and bow down today in adoration of the King of Kings, no longer in a manger, and now known by the world.