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Meditation for January 6, 2025
The Feast of the Epiphany
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 by Jeremy O’Neill
Following our late service on Christmas Eve, Peter asked some of the staff about any Christmas movies or programs that we feel compelled to watch every single year. It was fascinating to hear what stories have resonated with people, and presented an opportunity to reflect on the holiday season as a time wherein we take comfort in familiar narratives.
Every year on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, I watch the 2010 Christmas Special of the British car show Top Gear. Though it is a bit of a niche choice when compared to the likes of Home Alone or It’s a Wonderful Life, I do find it spiritually grounding in its unique take on the story it aims to tell. Although the episode is called a Christmas Special, it really is an Epiphany Story, and today marks the “official” day of Epiphany, although we celebrated the feast in our worship at Redeemer yesterday. Epiphany marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas with the celebration of the Magi arriving in Bethlehem.
At the beginning of the Top Gear story, the three presenters are told that they are to travel to Bethlehem “from the East” and that each of them is to purchase a convertible sports car for less than £3,500 to be their mode of transport. They begin in Iraq and are surprised to see a peace and beauty not represented by news networks at the time, especially as their journey was taking place during the Iraq War.
After many car breakdowns and detours as they navigate political and military uncertainty (at one point one of the presents remarks that the original magi wouldn’t have made it if they were under BBC travel orders) they arrive in a Bethlehem that appears not as a glamorous shining city of light, but as a peaceful but rundown city oppressed by the conditions around it. But even if Bethlehem doesn’t live up to their expectations, you get the sense that the men, who typically are detached from emotional vulnerability in favor of an oppositional masculinity and offensive attempts at humor, are moved by the historical and the contemporary weight of the journey they have completed.
Epiphany gives us a greater sense of place that can easily be overlooked. The pilgrimage following the star to see the one who has come to redeem the world lying in the most unlikely, unassuming, and forgotten place is a story we keep coming back to because we can’t help but wonder what it must have been like to be in that place for that event. It is a power that is beyond words.
I also find the Epiphany story as a reminder that Christ appears to all of us. So many different people in the story have an opportunity to bring their gifts, both physical and spiritual, to the newborn Christ. The baby is visited by the shepherds, working class heroes who lived a simple, unglamourous existence, and also to the kings who have enough wealth to bring him expensive gifts. In some ways he has already fulfilled some of what was stated in the Magnificat – the powerful have humbled themselves before him, and he has lifted up the lowly shepherds.
Most of all, Jesus is present in unexpected places and unexpected ways. So let us be aware of the unique ways Christ is present in different places in our lives, and as we journey through 2025, may we always be following the star and looking for Christ wherever we may go.
Prayer
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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