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Morning Devotion for the Season of Epiphany

January 6, 2023

Invitatory

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

Reading - Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

  are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

  who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Meditation - Winnie Smith

Epiphany is a season of revealing. In Advent, we anticipated the Messiah. During Christmas, we celebrated his coming to earth through the incarnation. On this day, the feast of Epiphany, we remember the magi who followed a star in order to find the baby Jesus and pay him homage. And in the season of Epiphany, which will last until Ash Wednesday, we will celebrate the continual revealing of Jesus’s divinity to the world through his life and ministry.

The magi, or wise men, traveled from the East to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem - this was not merely a walk down the block, but rather a journey. These men represented more than just themselves: when they greeted Jesus and brought him gifts, they symbolically represented the whole world welcoming the Messiah. Their visit to the babe was an act of revealing Christ to the world.

Jesus - the Incarnate God, the Messiah, the Christ Child - reveals God. For generations, the Jewish people had been promised a Savior and in the life of this human baby, God fulfilled that promise. Jesus’s miraculous birth by a virgin made real and visible what had been spoken of and hoped for for generations. God had been with his people all along, but when God sent Jesus into the world, he revealed himself directly in the lives of all people.

Herod reveals something too. King Herod was threatened by Jesus. In verse four, Matthew writes that King Herod was frightened by the magi’s inquiry about the location of this King of the Jews. Upon learning that he was in Bethlehem, Herod sent the wise men to travel there and to tell him immediately when they had found him. It is not explained in today’s portion of the Gospel, but just verses later, it will be revealed that Herod sought Jesus not to pay him homage, but to kill him. And when the wise men disregarded Herod’s request to give him Jesus’s location, he ordered the slaughter of all children under two years of age. So threatened by this new king was Herod that he was willing to kill numerous children to rid the world of him. Herod reveals one of our worst human flaws: the desire for power and the fear of it being taken.

As we enter this new season of the church calendar, let us continue looking for Jesus to be revealed to us. Christ has been born and walks among us once again, so let us look for him and appreciate that God chose to come into our lives in this way.



The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

     hallowed be thy Name,

     thy kingdom come,

     thy will be done,

         on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

     as we forgive those

         who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory,

     for ever and ever. Amen.