Collect and Readings for Epiphany – Isaiah 60.1-6, Psalm 72.1-15, Ephesians 3.1-12,

Matthew 2.1-12

The Prayer for today

O God, who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:

mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face

to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the

unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Beginning with one person (Abraham) and developing to embrace one family and

eventually one nation, God has painstakingly planted the seed of salvation and nurtured it

until the whole earth is involved. Isaiah had sensed that day in terms of a sunrise dawning

with the light of day on a world of darkness, with all the hope and joy and relief that a new

day can bring after a long, dark night.

Probably this was one of the prophecies these magi had read as they studied the signs of

the sky and wondered about life’s meaning. And perhaps it was then that they felt stirring

in them a profound calling to be, in person, those visitors who could symbolise the light

dawning in the wider world. Certainly, they must have been inspired by a powerful sense of

urgency and necessity to make such a journey. And as they travelled, both physically and

spiritually, towards Bethlehem, bearing the gifts laid down in those ancient scriptures,

perhaps they were drawn by much more than a star. Jesus later proclaimed that anyone

who sets out to search always finds.

Paul also knows himself to be commissioned to explain God’s nature to the Gentiles. He is

overwhelmed by the extraordinary way that the Christ has enabled us to approach the

great and awesome God with freedom and confidence - as one of the family. And for all of

us who are Gentiles, the feast of the Epiphany is particularly one to celebrate, since it marks

the truth that we too are part of God’s salvation and can share the light of dawn.

Some things to reflect on:

· Why did Herod find the prophesied birth threatening, while the magi were excited

enough to travel many miles to see this child?

· The Celtic Christians were very aware that the journey is, in a way, the destination.

How is this true?

God bless

Rev’d Fiona Robinson