Join us this Sunday at 11 am as our Lay Leader and North West District Lay Servant Ministries Trainer, Randy Morris, brings the message on Epiphany Sunday.
As you prepare your hearts and minds for Epiphany Sunday, consider the story of the Magi from Matthew 2:1-2.
Epiphany is a word we use when something suddenly makes sense, when the light turns on and we see what we could not see before. In the church, Epiphany is more than a moment of insight; it is the celebration of God revealing Jesus to the world. Not just to the insiders, not just to the people who already knew the stories, but to strangers from far away who were watching the sky and asking honest questions.
Matthew tells us about the Magi, travelers who noticed a star and decided it was worth the journey. They did not have all the details. They did not have a map. They had a sign, a nudge, a holy invitation to seek. And they trusted that if God was truly doing something new in the world, then the right response was to move, to go, to follow the light they had been given.
That is one of the most beautiful parts of this story, they did not start with certainty, they started with longing. They show us that faith often begins with a question. Where is the child? Where is the hope? Where is the One who can change everything? They came looking for a king, and what they found was a child. They came with their own expectations, and they discovered God’s surprising humility.
Of course, not everyone responds to Jesus with wonder. Matthew places Herod right beside the Magi, and the contrast is sharp. The Magi are curious, Herod is threatened. The Magi are willing to travel, Herod is willing to manipulate. The Magi come to worship, Herod wants control. Epiphany exposes what is in us. When the light of Christ shines, it reveals both the beauty of seeking hearts and the danger of fearful hearts.
If we are honest, we all carry a little of both. Sometimes we are the seekers, hungry for God, ready to follow a new direction. Sometimes we are the ones who feel threatened, not because Jesus is unkind, but because Jesus is holy, and holiness rearranges life. When Christ is revealed, we cannot keep everything the same. We cannot cling to our old road and pretend nothing has changed.
And then comes the moment that still makes me smile every time I read it. The Magi follow the star until it stops, and when they see it resting over the place where Jesus is, they are overwhelmed with joy. Not mild happiness. Not polite church smiles. Overwhelmed joy. The kind of joy that feels like relief and wonder and worship all at once. The kind of joy that says, God is real, God is near, and God has guided us here.
They enter the house, they see the child, they kneel, and they open their treasures. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts that carry meaning, gifts fit for a king, gifts offered with reverence. But here is what I love, their gifts are not just about what is in their hands, the gifts reveal what is in their hearts. They are saying, Jesus, you are worth my best. You are worth my time. You are worth my resources. You are worth my worship.
That is Epiphany for us too. We do not come to Jesus empty-handed in the sense that we have nothing to offer. We come with our lives. We come with our devotion, worship, compassion and justice. We come with what we have, even when it feels imperfect. We bring our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, not to prove ourselves, but because love responds with generosity.
And then Matthew ends the story with a quiet but powerful line. Warned in a dream, the Magi do not go back the way they came. They leave for their own country by another road. They encountered Jesus, and they could not return to life as usual. The road changed because they changed.
That is the invitation of Epiphany Sunday. Come and seek Jesus honestly. Bring your questions. Follow the light you have been given. Worship with your whole heart. Offer your best. And then, when you leave, listen for God’s direction, because you may be called to take another road.
Maybe another road looks like the forgiveness you have been avoiding. Maybe it looks like serving the neighbor you have not noticed. Maybe it looks like generosity that stretches you. Maybe it looks like stepping into the community instead of staying isolated. It may look like courage, telling the truth, setting boundaries, choosing love over fear. Another road does not always mean an easier road, but it is the road that leads with Jesus at the center.
The star still shines. God still reveals. Christ still calls. And the good news is this, the same God who guided the Magi guides us too. When you do not know what to do next, God is not absent. When you feel lost, God is not finished. When you are searching, God honors the search and meets you with grace.
So arise and shine, church. The Light has come. Let us follow the star, worship the Savior, and leave by another road, carrying Christ’s light into the world.
Grace and peace, because grace always goes before peace,
Pastor Sharon