Epiphany
Today is January 6th, Epiphany or Three Kings Day. It isn’t a holiday that is celebrated very much any more, but it is still an important day for us. Webster gives two definitions of epiphany. The first is a moment of sudden great and sudden revelation. The second is that revelation of the birth of Christ to the non-Jewish world as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12.
Now, we don’t know if there were really three wise men or magi as we often sing. And we also don’t know where their journey originated. We see them depicted in Nativity scenes or around the creche, but the truth is that since Herod ordered the killing of all the Jewish males under the age of two, they probably came a great distance. It could have been as close as Mesopotamia in the valley between the Tigress and Euphrates Rivers, an advanced civilization since 3000 BC. Or it might have been from India, or China, two great civilizations even farther east. For all we know, it could have also been a 
pre-Angkorian civilization here in Cambodia.
But, the bible does tell us that they came to worship THE King, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This leads to speculation that they were wealthy and educated men who studied the stars and could finance an extended scientific search for the origin of that bright star. While magi is the origin of the word magician, we can again speculate that these men were able to show very uncommon knowledge. We can also speculate that the magi visiting Christ were only representative of a larger body of astronomers, a delegation if you will.
But what is Epiphany to us? Epiphany to us is not the day on which we stop celebrating Christmas. It may be the day that the Christmas tree comes down because the needles are brown and dropping, but it not the day that Christmas comes to an end. Epiphany is the revelation of Christ, true God, and true man, to the non-Jewish world. Epiphany is to us a day of thanksgiving for Christ finding us in all our shame and guilt. Epiphany is the start of a new life!
Have a Happy Epiphany! God is still searching for wise men and women who will accept Him into their life.
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