The Solemnity of Epiphany
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the Lord's glory has risen on you! For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you. The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of the Lord.
God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
In his days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him.
if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you, how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,
which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, 'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.'"2:6 Micah 5:2
Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him."
They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
What strikes me most about the Magi's journey is how they had to trust a star they couldn't fully understand. These weren't Jewish scholars steeped in Hebrew prophecy—they were foreigners, likely Persian astronomers, following celestial signs that pointed beyond their own religious traditions. Yet something deep within them recognized that this light was worth following, even when it led them far from home.
The mystery Paul writes about in Ephesians is playing out right before our eyes in this story. God's salvation isn't just for the chosen few—it's bursting beyond every boundary we try to draw. The Gentiles, the outsiders, the unexpected seekers are all "fellow heirs" of God's promise. What I find beautiful here is that God often calls us through the very things we're already drawn to—for the Magi, it was their study of the stars.
We all have our own stars to follow, those deep stirrings that pull us toward something greater than ourselves. Maybe it's a persistent sense that we're meant to serve others, or an unexplained peace we feel in prayer, or even restlessness with the status quo that won't let us settle. Like the Magi, we rarely know exactly where these leadings will take us.
Notice how the wise men "went back to their own country another way." Encountering Christ changes our route home. We can't return to business as usual after meeting the Light of the World. The familiar path no longer fits who we've become.
The gold, frankincense, and myrrh they offered weren't random gifts—they represented the best of what they had to give, their most precious treasures laid down in worship.
What star is God asking you to follow today, even if you can't see the full destination? What treasures from your own life—your talents, time, or heart—is Christ inviting you to offer?