Epiphany 2025

Matthew 2:1-12

¹ In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising [in the east], and have come to pay him homage."

³ When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

⁵ They told Herod, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a governor who is to shepherd my people Israel.' "

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."

⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising [in the east], until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Days after Christmas

Days after Christmas offer several possibilities. When January 6th doesn't fall on a Sunday, many churches celebrate Epiphany on the nearest Sunday. During 2020 I wrote about Jesus' Presentation in the Temple; the Circumcision and Name of Jesus on January 1st would be good for the first Sunday of any new year. January 6th was Christ's birthday until the 4th century, when Emperor Constantine moved it to a few days after the solstice to correlate with the Feast of the Unvanquished Sun, a celebration people already knew about. And then January 6th became the baptism of Jesus, as it still is in Eastern expressions of Christianity. Some Western churches that follow the lectionary are observing Jesus' baptism today.


Epiphany Day and Season

Epiphany means revelation, revealing, uncovering. We sometimes tell people we've "had an epiphany." The "epi" prefix means upon; "phan" is revelation.

Despite the song about the Twelve Days of Christmas, January 6th, the day of Epiphany is the thirteenth day of Christmas. Although we're in Luke's lectionary year, the gospel reading today is from Matthew because only Matthew includes this story.

On the day of Epiphany and during the Season of Epiphany we celebrate Jesus as light of the world; we affirm the God of the bible as God with and for all religions, ethnicities, abilities, social statuses, etc. We rejoice in the God who breaks barriers, the God who shatters boundaries and expectations. Epiphany is a season of evangelism, of reaching out to and inviting in people of all cultures, nationalities, orientations, professions, etc. And we celebrate the light of Christ reflected in us! In the global North, Epiphany arrives shortly after the winter solstice, making its symbolism of light especially full of meaning. Stars are the epiphany symbol.

The day of Epiphany initiates the variable length (because the date of Easter varies) season of Epiphany that extends until Ash Wednesday. Or Shrove Tuesday. Western protestant churches celebrate Transfiguration on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, making the theophanies of Jesus' baptism and his transfiguration bookends.

We'll number Sundays after Epiphany until Lent. Next week we'll revisit Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River by his cousin John the Baptist and we're experience a trinitarian theophany, or revealing of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.


Today's Gospel

These visitors from a country east of Judea (along with their retinues) most likely were religious leaders, probably Zoroastrian priests who were astrologers. Zoroastrianism was a middle-eastern way of life that preceded Islam. Astrologers studied and interpreted stars in the sky for signs and meanings; they may have been astronomers in our sense of people with expertise about the heavenly bodies. In any case, they were of a different culture, religion, and ethnicity then the Jews (Israelites, Hebrews) the bible identifies as the distinctive people of God. These wise persons based their decision to set out for Bethlehem on

(1) studying signs in the skies, on
(2) reading their own scriptures or holy book, on
(3) heeding messages they received in a dream.

Our text doesn't say how many there were, and it doesn't say they were kings or royals, but they brought three gifts, so tradition sings about and talks about three kings. In the Ancient Near East (ANE) a star in the sky often signaled the birth or death of a great individual. Numbers 24:17 names stars as a Messianic sign. Did the visitors recognize Jesus as royal or as divine?

Matthew writes about the star at "the rising" of the sun in the east, at daybreak, at dawning. Stars are scattered all over the Matthew passage with east, east, star, star (and magi in the house where the star stopped, not back in the stable). "From the east" is anatolia—the rising of the sun. (Not Bruce Springsteen's The Rising!) Latin words oriens and orient mean the same as the Greek anatolia—the other side of the world from ours?

Because this story of persons from The East, from The Rising – the direction where the sun rises to start a new day – opens up questions of inclusion, of boundaries, of people who are like us and different from us, the season of Epiphany emphasizes evangelism beyond how we've "always done it." Revealing Jesus with a star, a scripture passage, and a dream, enlighten our imaginations and our outreach.


Traditions :: Star Words + Chalk House Blessings

There's very little information in scripture or anywhere regarding Jesus' early life, but many traditions have grown up around Christmas and Epiphany. Traditions such as naming three kings Melchior, Kaspar, and Balthazar, traditions like decorated evergreen trees, carols and songs, and giving gifts rooted in creation are ways we make Jesus' life real to ourselves and our neighbors. Traditions are ways of incarnating, enfleshing, embodying the Nativity or birth account. You've likely noticed our Christmas Story combines narratives from Luke's gospel and from Matthew's.

Stars are the epiphany symbol! As an alternate or in addition to New Year's resolutions, there's a recent practice of choosing a star word early in the new year as a guide for the upcoming year. You can ask someone else to suggest one, or in the Spirit claim a word to light your path the way a star led the magi.

Blessing your dwelling (house, apartment, office, workshop, studio, retail space, etc.) with chalk is an historical practice for New Year's Day, Epiphany, or any time. An internet search will provide resources to make the blessing short and simple or long and elaborate. The inscription for this year is 20+C+M+B+25—the calendar year with CMB sandwiched in the middle.

CMB can stand for traditional magi names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, or it can be initials for Christus Mansionem Benedicat / May Christ Bless this House. Although Latin "house" is similar to English mansion for a huge dwelling (or manse for the pastor's house that's not usually very big), it doesn't imply large. It's a home, a way station, a stayover place. You can bless the entraway and/or separate rooms.