The Epiphany of Our Lord January 6, 2016

Matthew 2:1-12 
¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ⁶' But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" ⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." ⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. -- NKJV

As we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord today, we celebrate the arrival of the wise men that followed the star that led to the Messiah. Some things that we can take from this are things that lead us not only to the Christ child, but to reason that this child came to live and dwell among us. When we look at the gifts that the wise men gave to the child, we see the gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

·         The gold was given as to denote Jesus as king.

·         Frankincense and myrrh, were sweet smelling resins used as offerings, but also used at burials to preserve and perfume the body.

These gifts were presented for a child who had come not as a general on a battlefield, but rather a child who had been born to become our suffering servant. The Messiah had come as a king who through his life and ministry has come to die.  This Messiah King came to suffer and die for our sins, so that we may have eternal life. A king who would die for his people. Yes, Jesus is the king who gives life, and restores the light off life to those that have only known darkness.

Another interesting feature of this narrative is the fact that they had a dream to leave the country via another route instead of returning to Herod. This dream told them that returning to Herod would place the Messiah in danger, because Herod felt Jesus as a threat to his power.

Beloved, what is the world trying to sell you today? Where is the world trying to lead you astray? Whether it comes to you in a dream or a prayer, my prayer for you today is that you will take the path that Jesus destines for your lives. The path that the world attempts to lead us on is full of potholes that contain pain, sorrow and death, while the path of Christ will always lead us to the love of our eternal home and our eternal life and relationship with God.

May you celebrate today and avoid the paths of darkness, and sway into the path that is well lit and will always bring you home.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.