"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."
When I was a child, every Christmas season, my mom took me to the Morehead Planetarium at the University of North Carolina. The museum ran a holiday program entitled, 'The Star of Bethlehem.' It explored the wonder of the star that rose to signal Christ's birth, an extraordinary star shining with a radiant light strong enough to pierce the darkness, a light reflecting the light of Christ. The documentary was retired from the planetarium after sixty-one seasons, the museum producing a new documentary akin to the original. Still the science and miracle of the star of wonder remains a constant truth. The documentary revealed the science of this star of wonder, in a way that illuminated the truth of faith, extraordinary in ordinary.
As a child, I found the science of this miraculous star a revelation of God's truth and glory, the birth of Christ. God uses the ordinary for the extraordinary, a star is but a flicker in the night sky, yet it can illuminate the dark. God used nature, something as otherworldly and natural as a star, to light the way to Christ. The star of Bethlehem is a guidepost, rising to lift us out of doubt into the epiphany of faith, to take on the journey to Christ with an intrepid and courageous heart. Christ is our star, the guidepost that lights our path. We may not know the exact footsteps and trails it takes to reach 'Bethlehem,' but we know that The Holy Spirit guides us, Christ forgives us and God the Father cares for us. Even in the seeming mundane, there is wonder, and in the darkness The Holy Trinity promises us light. Light doesn't make us immune from the dark, but gives us illumination to navigate through the abyss.
Epiphany has several dictionary definitions:
a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
Here is an interesting article from Psychology Today about the semantics of 'Epiphany.'
The Twelve Days of Christmastide, from Christmas Day to Epiphany is a discovery of faith. Advent prepares us for Christ, Christmas opens our spirit to the fullness of Christ, each day revealing another layer of his truth and grace, so as we celebrate Epiphany we come to it not with hesitation and fear, but a humble joy. We celebrate epiphany with a full acknowledgement that Christ is the son of God, who came to the earth to sacrifice himself out of love, grace fulfilled on the Christ. Christ is the light of the world and even in life's darkest moments we never walk alone. We accept the gift of grace in Christ with a triumphal gratitude and hope in the faith of the kingdom that has come and is coming. The everlasting cup of life.
~
"We Three Kings"
Who are the Magi?
Biblical scholars believe that the Magi, were Magian Priests from the Parthian Empire, which at the time of Christ's birth encompassed a large area of the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. They are referred to as 'Wise Men' because they were a intellectually, studied class of ancient priests, that held a wealth of knowledge about travel, astronomy, natural sciences, astrology and mysticism. They were Gentiles. They used the stars for prophecy and science.
Three Kings? Scripture doesn't tell us how many wise men there were, although three seems logical because they brought three gifts, of course this could be tied to their perception of acknowledging the Trinity or God using the gifts to symbolize: God the Father, Christ the son and the Holy Spirit.
When did they arrive: I love a Live Nativity with the Wise Men paying homage to the Christ child in the manager, shepherds keeping watch, although it is not a historical interpretation of what actually happened (I still argue it is a spiritually true interpretation as it shows the truth of Christ's being a Messiah, King, Human and Divine...and the 'epiphany' of the lowly shepherds to intelligent Gentiles perceiving the truth of Christ as Savior). It is unknown when exactly the Magi came to visit the Jesus. It was not at the stable. Matthew 2 tells us that the magi visited the Holy Family in a house. Jesus was 2 or under, as Herod asked the Magi when their first saw the star rise and used that on his basis for the age of the Holy Innocents. Herod could have upped the number to ensure the 'king' he feared would take his throne was murdered. So Christ was 2 or under when the Magi came.
Herod was the official 'King of the Jews,' a royal official who petitioned Rome for his crown. I learned in a bible study on Luke that Herod's family was not actually descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and his power was completely based on political corruption and buyoffs (I suppose human nature really doesn't change). He perceived that Christ was the Messiah foretold in prophecy, but instead of graciously accepting the Messiah, the son of God as king, Herod cared more for worldly power. He defied God's will for human authority, to the point of murdering innocent children. The magi did not return to Herod, in turn buying the Holy Family time to get to Egypt where they were refugees. They were Gentiles but perceived the dream from God warning them not to go back to Herod as a truth, trusting God.
It is interesting that the first people to acknowledge the baby Jesus as king are a race of Gentiles from a far off land, who are not tied to Judaism. They are astrologers, yet even in their foreign pagan beliefs, they were able to perceive the truth. Once again God proves to flip our expectations, working through the unexpected to achieve his purposes. The magi were so certain that Christ was the king that they traveled hundreds, if not thousands of miles just to pay him homage. Throughout the Gospels we see incidents when people who should acknowledge Christ as the Messiah, are deaf and blind, while the lowly beggar or Gentile from afar is able to perceive. This isn't an insult on the Jewish community as much as human nature. How easy is it for us, when we are tangled up in the ends and outs of something that we lack perception, to be unable to turn convention upside down? Would we pay homage to Christ as King, or see him as a humble baby of no consequence. Jesus came as fully divine and fully man, we perceive truth with a limited scope, a paradox of understanding, a battle of belief and doubt.
It took Gentiles to see the light that had come. Epiphany is a perception of Christ and a recognition of Christ as king and savior, an internal spark and determination to let go of our fear and preconceptions, turning over trust to him, allowing the LIGHT of CHRIST to guide our footsteps and the Holy Spirit to move within us, helping us to grow in faith and perceive truth - even in the ordinary, extraordinary, unexpected places...
May the light of Christ shine in your dark places, turning over fear to the Holy Trinity, allowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide you 3 gifts of guiding light - one God.
Here is an article about some Epiphany Traditions, including baking the King Cake. In many countries gifts are exchanged on Epiphany in honor of the Wise Men's visit and gifts.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/06/three-kings-day-celebration-history-and-traditions-behind-el-dia-de-los-reyes_n_2412379.html
If you like to bake, celebrate with a 'Los Reyes Cake,' or 'Star Cookies' or 'Fortune Cookies' with bible verses.
A link to a You Tube presentation from the Houston Planetarium about the Start of Bethlehem: http://youtu.be/01f6RyguFns
Some more reading: http://www.orlutheran.com/html/magifaq.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi#Gifts
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