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Following A Star

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is one of the oldest Christian feasts. It’s celebrated on January 6th, but in most countries the celebration is moved to the Sunday between January 2nd and January 8th. The word epiphany comes from the ancient Greek “epiphaneia” which means appearance. It celebrates the revelation of God in the form of Jesus.

Three Kings' Day

Epiphany is celebrated in many different ways depending on where you live. Here in Switzerland as well as other parts of Europe, we find traditional Three Kings’ Cake. A small plastic king is often hidden inside sweet yeast bread. In the church we celebrate the journey of the three wise men to a stable in Bethlehem. The wise men, or magi, travel from the east bringing gifts. They are guided by a star as they search for the newborn king.

Gospel Reading

In the Gospel for this Feast Day (Matthew 2:1-12), the deceitful King Herod plots a way to find out the location of the newborn king but is outsmarted by the magi. The three wise men search for Jesus following the signs they have received from God and they are successful in their search. The story of the magi is a story for us. We must search for Jesus no matter how long the journey takes, in spite of the challenges we face, even when we are confronted by the deceitful Herods in our life.

Homework

Even when we seem to lose sight of the star and the way is not quite clear or evil forces seem to divert or searching, we must always place our trust in God. God never leaves us in the dark, he doesn’t abandon us nor is he hidden from us. We at Good Shepherd’s wish you all the best for 2019 and may the light of the Lord guide you in the coming year and throughout all your days.