Epiphany of the Lord

 Awhile back, the angels asked me to write on the Gospels on Sundays. With Love and gratitude, here is the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12 with a loving message behind it

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

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Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. A normal epiphany is a sudden revelation, or insightful revelation. Today is special because the three wise men were blessed with the Epiphany or revelation of the Birth of Christ.  They followed the North Star to the place of birth of Jesus: The Light of salvation, born unto Mary and Joseph in a stable, under the North Star according to the scriptures. The birth of Jesus was the birth of the Light in the world.  The shepherds were also given the Epiphany and insight of the Angel that the Lord was Born.

The three wise men prostrated themselves at the sight of Jesus and Mary his mother. They offered him three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was something that was offered to Kings; the three wise men recognizing Jesus as King. The Frankincense was often used by priests and was offered to recognize Jesus as a priest, and the myrrh was often associated with burials and anointments upon death. Thus the three wise men possibly offering this to Jesus as a pre-anointing or revealing of his own burial to come.

Jesus is the True High Priest, the Most High. To seek the Lord is something we should all follow. To prostrate our own selves before him and recognize the True Light – the Light of Salvation is Christ, God incarnate. His Light is within each of us, in everyone. Recognizing him within our hearts, in Heaven and as the Most High, glorified as one with God, is who each of us should seek daily in prayer and in deed. Jesus recognizes and understands our human-ness and is always here with us now and listening. May He hear us seek his name.

In Jesus’ name-

Angel guided