Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Epiphany of Our Lord is properly celebrated on January 6^th capping off the 12 days of Christmas, but it can be celebrated on the second Sunday of Christmas, which is what we do at regularly at Lake of the Isles. Celebrating Epiphany is a great way to begin a new year.  Granted, for some the story of Epiphany and the Wise Men may simply read as the final, wistful chapter in the Christmas story.  But for me, there is something more. Yes, I love Epiphany and I love the star.  I love singing loudly and robustly, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” and the “The First Noel.”  Yet, there is something distinctive and adventurous about the story of the Wise Men. For me, Epiphany is the beginning of the journey of seeing Jesus.

Scripture offers us many important journey stories. From Abraham being told to go to the land that God will show him. To the Israelites traveling through the wilderness on their way to the promised land. To Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem before the birth of their son Jesus. To Jesus, returning to heaven to prepare a place for us, and reminding us that we won’t get lost on our journey with him, because he is the way, and the truth, and the life.

My friends, for this Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord, let us meditate on the journey of the Wise Men and embrace what they discovered on finding Jesus.

In St. Matthew’s gospel, the evangelist tells us that the Wise Men journeyed to Jerusalem, looking for the child who had been born King of the Jews.  We know very little about the magi, not even their number, but as magi or astrologers, they were regarded as the most knowledgeable men of their age.  They were skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science.  People listened to them because they too believed that the stars in the heavens carried messages from God.  Surprisingly, the Wise Men began their journey by going to the wrong place. It was the logical place. After all, Jerusalem was the capital. Where else would the king of the Jews be born? But it was the wrong place. Yes, the wisest, most educated, logical and rational men in the ancient world couldn’t find the King of the Jews by their own knowledge alone. Even at his birth, Jesus was showing the world that he would be a different kind of king. Travelers today journey to the logical place to find Jesus, but that is seldom where he is found.

The Wise Men needed God’s Word to find the newborn king. They needed the chief priests and scribes, people who knew and studied God’s Word to help them.  True, they were first led by a star, but it did not bring them to Jesus. It did, however, set them on the right course. It was God’s Word that brought them to Jesus. It is a remarkable and mysterious detail that teaches us that God launches people on their journey wherever they are in life. The Wise Men were astrologers who studied the stars, so God sent them a new star. God can use almost any event in life, good or bad, to set us on our way in search of our Savior.  But once the Wise Men were on the way, and once you are on the way, you need more. You need God’s Word and you need the gentle nurturing and caring of mentors moved by the Holy Spirit who would love to guide you to the Savior. The stars won’t get you there alone.

After hearing the Word interpreted by the scribes, the Wise Men left Jerusalem, and followed the star once again now to Bethlehem, where they found Jesus with his mother Mary. And immediately, they knelt down and paid him homage. They had come all this way for one reason, and one reason only: To worship the newborn King of the Jews. The magi then presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These gifts were not inconsequential. Gold was a gift fit for a king. Jesus was born King of the Jews. Frankincense was a gift appropriate for a priest. It was often used in Temple worship and sacrifices. And given to Jesus, it proclaimed that this child would one day grow up to be a priest, the high priest, who would open the gates of the Temple to the prayers and concerns of his people. And finally, myrrh was a prophetic gift and foreshadowing of death.  Myrrh was used in ancient times to prepare the dead for burial. Throughout the Scriptures, the prophets were killed by their own people. And so, the Wise Men adored and worshiped Jesus with gifts that showed him to be a prophet, a priest, and a king. A king who would die for the sins of the world, to open the gates of Heaven, and to put an end to the fear of death.

When the Wise Men left Bethlehem, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. And so, they left for their own country by another road.  They returned home as changed men on a new path.  That is the wonder waiting for those seeking Jesus and who have fallen down before him to worship him. They will be changed and they cannot go back to their former ways.

From the moment the Wise Men gazed upward to the star and looked inward to their own longing; from the moment they followed the star leaving the safety and comfort of their home behind, and from the moment they were challenged by the dangers and obstacles of the forces against them, they knew that they were being changed.  The Wise Men were becoming the faithful followers God had created them to be.  They were increasingly more confident, courageous and brave.  And even before they reached their journey’s end, when they bowed before the Christ Child face to face, they were committed to him.  It wasn’t what they were seeking, but it was what they discovered.

My friends, a new year is unfolding before us, and none of us knows what this year will bring. But one thing I trust.  Whatever your fears and sorrows may be, whatever plans the King Herod’s may secretly conspire, you need not fear. The star which the Wise Men saw in the East will be a sign for you that will guide you, inspire you, accompany you, and will finally lead you home. And Jesus will be with us on the way. We have found him again this Christmastide. We have worshiped him. And now we journey on new and unexpected roads confident that Jesus will always be alongside us. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.