“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:2

For much of my life, as a Baptist, I haven’t paid much attention to the traditional church calendar with its feasts and observances. As a result, I have never really understood the significance of Epiphany, which is celebrated this Sunday in many churches around the world. Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi who came searching for the new born King in Matthew 2. The word, “epiphany” refers to the “appearance” of something. In this case, either the star that led the wise men to Jesus, or Christ Himself as the long awaited Savior! That’s the background of this traditional celebration, but what is its significance?

The significance of this event is that in remembering, we celebrate the fact that Jesus has come into this dark world, not for the Jews alone, but as a Light to the Gentiles as well (Isa 49:6; Lk 2:32). The Magi are the first of many Gentiles drawn to worship the King through the Light that shines in the Gospel. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, celebrated this fact in Acts 13:47 when He declared that God had commanded of Christ, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” And we as Gentiles can only shout, “Hallelujah!” as we seek to keep shining this light into the still-dark places of this world that all might see and come to believe!

And so I find it wonderfully providential that on the Sunday of Epiphany, as we celebrate those who came from afar to find the Savior, we are able to welcome Matt Clark from All Nations to speak about the many refugees God is sending to our area to find this same Savior (whether they realize that’s the reason or not!). Many are coming from the very lands that sent the Magi! All are seeking a new home and a new hope. And God has placed us here to welcome them and point them to the One Who is the Light of Salvation for the Gentiles.

Looking forward to hearing God’s Word from our Brother!

Pastor S. Scott Lee