Feast of the Epiphany • Year B

Historical Collect

O God, on this day, by the leading of a star, you revealed your only-begotten Son to the nations. Mercifully grant that we, who know you by faith, may be brought to contemplate the beauty of your majesty; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gregorian Sacramentary, 6th Century)

Thematic Collect

Heavenly Father, as your beloved Son was sent to be the Light to all nations, so may his light shine in and through us. Send us to be Christ’s light in our homes, schools, workplaces, and to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

The Common Thread

The glorious light of the world has risen upon us and will never go dim. He calls all people to himself to be enlightened, if they would lift up their eyes and see. His righteousness and glory is even observed in the reign of the great kings of Israel, those in David’s lineage. But it is the King of kings who will shine throughout eternity, even now bringing to light the mystery that had been hidden in God for long ages. Through faith in him, the way is clear, the path brightly illuminated; God in eternity is our destination. Along the way, he who is the greatest of the leaders of Israel will be the shepherd of all who believe. 

First Reading • Isaiah 60:1-6

This Reading is not about becoming brighter, about deeds or being better. It is not about Israel—or the Israel of God. (Gal 6:16) This is about shining in the sense of being illuminated or lit up. Therefore, the light has come from the outside. The Lord is the light here, not the Lord’s people. Our task is to become the light of the world (Matt 5:14) by reflecting the true light that has come into the world. (John 1:9)

We will never attract the nations with our own seeming brilliance but when we shine with the radiance of God’s glory, the darkness itself comes to light. 

Psalm • Psalm 72:1-11, 12-15

Oh, to have a beneficent ruler, who cares for the good of all, spreading the benefit of his rule across the land. We already enjoy such a king. His dominion extends beyond the earth, continuing on to the heavens. The ideal king of ancient Israel is realized in the kingdom of the Lord where there is peace and righteousness. Just as all kings will one day fall before him, every knee will bow and every tongue confess (Rom 14:11) that God is our righteous King. 

Second Reading • Ephesians 3:1-12

Paul considered his suffering for the gospel as accomplishing God’s purposes in others’ lives. He could have avoided problems with the authorities simply by keeping his mouth shut. Instead, he preached the gospel. He thought of his imprisonment for doing so (even if it was to keep him safe from mobs) as a way God would use to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. Further, he considered this gospel to the Gentiles ancient mystery of God. It had seemed for so long that the good news was reserved for one group of people. Suddenly, not only was this gospel for others, those others were now considered part of the same body of people once considered exclusive. Paul, sitting in a cell, was being used by God to bring this eternal and mysterious plan to light. 

Gospel • Matthew 2:1-12

The magi must have come looking for a King of kings, not simply a king of the Jews. It is a little questionable that wise men (experts on the meanings of the stars and dreams) from gentile countries (perhaps Babylonia, giving more irony to the reverence of the magi) would travel so far and for so long just to pay their respects to a Jewish king. However, if the star they saw rising was an astronomical development that they understood as heralding something great, this would explain both their initial motivation and their persistence.

That these men of the world were the first to honor the King of the Jews, makes the later rejection of Jesus by his own people more revealing. Jesus was born King of the Jews but would become the King of Kings. Herod understood this only too well, and in his paranoia, sought to have God’s King assassinated.