The Epiphany of the Lord, Year C, 06.01.2013

Is 60:1-6/ Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6/ Mt 2:1-12

Today’s feast of the Epiphany marks the revelation of the birth of the Saviour to the whole world.

The birth of Christ in Bethlehem in Judaea was marked by a star which led the Magi, or the wise men, who were non-Jews, to pay homage to the new born king of the Jews.

That is why, strictly speaking, the three Magi figurines make their appearance at the Nativity Crib only today and not earlier.

But their appearance will be short-lived because in the days to come, the Nativity Crib will be dismantled and the figurines will be stored away until the next Christmas.

And with that, it also means that it is time for the Christmas decorations in Church and at home to be taken down.

Already the shopping malls have replaced the Christmas decorations with Chinese New Year decorations even as early as on Christmas Day itself.

Most probably the star of Christmas or the star of Bethlehem will be the last to be taken down, maybe because it is at the top of the decorations.

Yes, the star that is over the Nativity Crib and the star that sits on the top of the Christmas tree.

Well, on this feast of the Epiphany, the spot light is on the star and in the whole Christmas story, it is only mentioned here.

It was the star that attracted the curiosity of the Magi and it beckoned them to head towards Jerusalem.

By the way, we are familiar with the nursery song “Twinkle twinkle little star”.

Generally we know the first stanza which goes like this:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high, 
Like a diamond in the sky.

But there are other stanzas that tell us more …

When the blazing sun is gone, 
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light, 
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark, 
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go, 
If you did not twinkle so.
As your bright and tiny spark, 
Lights the traveller in the dark.
Though I know not what you are, 
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Yes, for the Magi, or the wise men, the star beckons them to the land of Judaea, to the land of the Jews.

They were knowledgeable in astrology and they had studied the stars and they reckon that this particular star was special.

This star was the sign of the birth of someone great, who will be the king of the Jews.

And so they set off to where the star was beckoning. They were willing to embark on this quest in order to fulfill their hearts’ desire.

Yet it must be said that the star was not always there to lead them.

From the gospel passage, it seems that they saw the star as it rose, so they set off in that direction.

Yet, if the star was always guiding them, then they wouldn’t have ended up before Herod, which was like walking into a lion’s den.

Yes, Herod was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. 

Yet, it was there that the chief priests and scribes found out from the Magis that the king of the Jews was to be born in Bethlehem.

And so Herod sent them on with the pretext of wanting to pay homage to the new born king of the Jews. But of course he had ulterior and evil motives.

So the Magi went on to Bethlehem and this time the star appeared again and brought them to Jesus.

And they paid homage with gifts of mystical meaning – gold to represent royalty; frankincense to represent divinity, and myrrh to represent humanity and mortality.

What the chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem knew about but did nothing, the Magi searched for and received everything.

But just as the star caught the attention of the Magi and set them on a quest, the Magi themselves somehow catches our attention and imagination.

They were often portrayed as kings, wearing crowns and royal and colourful exotic robes.

And their three gifts were also just so extraordinary and fascinating.

Although there were shepherds at the Nativity scene, yet the Magi seem to capture our attention and reflection.

Maybe because the story of the shepherds was quite straight forward. 

An angel appeared to them to announce the birth of the Saviour; they were told where to go and how to look for Him; and they found it exactly as they had been told.

There were no surprises and no suspense. It was a straight cut and it was straight forward.

On the other hand, the Magi had only seen the star rising.

They then set off across the desert sands and maybe the star appeared now and then and here and there.

They thought that the new born king would be in Jerusalem, and unknowingly, they were used by Herod to be his agents.

Yes, the Magi seem to catch our attention and reflection maybe because we see a bit of our faith journey in them.

Like the star that beckoned the Magi, we also feel the call to faith and to follow Jesus.

Yet we know by now that following Jesus is not a straight cut and neither is it straight forward.

Many a times we wonder what God’s will is for us and what direction should we take.

But like the Magi, we had to move on because there is no turning back.

And along the way, we will meet the Herods of this world. We will be used, cheated, taken advantage of, and misled. But God will still draw straight with those crooked lines.

Like the Magi who had to face disappointment when they found out that Jerusalem was the end of their journey, we too will face disappointment when we did not get what we prayed for or that things didn’t turn out as we hoped or expected. 

But let us remember that Epiphany means revelation. As in any revelation, it come bit by bit and we just have to journey on in faith.

God will reveal Himself to us. That is what the feast of the Epiphany is all about.

And with this feast also comes a promise. And that is God will help us find what we are looking for.

Well, the Magi followed the star and although they made a few wrong turns, they eventually found what they were looking for, and they went back enlightened and fulfilled.

Yes, God will make the stars shine for us. We just have to keep looking, keep praying, keep searching, and we will become the stars that will reveal Jesus to others.