Wise Men Seek the Christ
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “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.” [Matthew 2:1-2 NRSV]
According to Merriam Webster on-line: an epiphany is : 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.
Today, in the Western Christian Church, we celebrate the recognition of Jesus as the Christ, King of the Jews, Son of God by the wise men. These were people of ‘the nations,’ people outside the covenant between God and the Jews. How was it that these wise men could recognize what God was doing when some people in Israel did not see and understand?
It makes me wonder today if God is doing something, even within the Church, perhaps in the Presbyterian Church USA, that I may be missing but others outside the church might see and understand. As the United Church of Christ reminds us, “God is still speaking…” Can we hear? Can we see?
Can I hear?
As I reexamine my Rule of Life this year, I have added this prayer inspired by the action step on January first in my devotional book, These Days:
May I be more open to the Spirit every day.
Perhaps in that way, I may be truly wise because wise men and women still seek him.
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