THE SOLEMNITY OF THEEPIPHANY OF THE LORD Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah

On this special Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. This is one of the most important days in the Church’s calendar since it marks the fact that Jesus came as a light, to bring salvation to people from all nations. He made all who believe in Him members of the Kingdom of God. Epiphany is the celebration of God’s manifestation to the nations, making us partakers of the gifts the Incarnate Child of God brought to the world. Through Christ, God manifested himself to all people. This manifestation began when the wise men from the East came to Bethlehem to pay their respects and offer their gifts to the newly born king of the Jews. These wise men searched for the newborn king, found him and paid homage to the Lord, who had come in the form of the infant Jesus. Through their determination and foresight, we have come to know that God’s Kingdom includes all people, Jews and Gentiles alike.

Their search for Jesus is a model for us as well. We are called upon to watch for the light, for signs of the Lord’s presence in our lives, follow the inspiration of our hearts and come to the place where Jesus is. These three wise men represent each of us. Are we not all looking for something great and wonderful in life? Are we not searching for some sign? A sign that will show us where we can find what we are looking for here on earth. But the question is: Are we ready to get up? Are we ready to rise like the wise men and look for that place? To search for it until we have found it? In fact, we can only find what we are looking for if we resolve to look for someone called Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world, the author of our lives and creator of everything that exists here on earth.

At the heart of the Gospel today is that wonderful moment when, going into the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary and falling to their knees, they did him homage. Imagination has exercised itself over this line for many centuries; it is a moment of tenderness and worship, of fulfilment and release. And yet, for the wise men, and for us, it is also the beginning of a new journey, guided by the light of an equally delightful star, the light of faith, drawing us to the hill of Golgotha. Matthew has already told us a great deal about this child. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. His name is Jesus, and he has come to save his people from their sins. He is Immanuel, God-with-us. He is the son of David. The wise men kneel before him and pay homage to the one they call ‘the infant King of the Jews’. They have travelled from afar to find him, and their reward is that now he has found them; the infant King has three new subjects.

God does not remove all the problems and difficulties from our lives. We can feel that at times, everything seems like darkness. We struggle with the hardships of all kinds, but deep in our hearts, there will be light if we welcome that Child, our Saviour Jesus, and God’s own Son. In Jesus, God is manifesting himself to the whole world. God’s promise of salvation is not reserved for a select few, but rather it is available to all to be accepted in faith, just as the Gentile magi responded. The story of the magi shows that although Christ has come to us in human form, we must go all the way to find him. That is why we form part of the body of Christ in his Church in paying homage and presenting our gifts to him. Sometimes, like Herod and the leaders of the Jews of his day, we also could become absorbed in the affairs of this life and the quest for wealth, pleasure and power. These can blind us to the extent of neglecting our future life of being one with Christ.

Let us thank God today for having called us to His Church and for giving us the means to reach heaven through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our gifts for Christ on this feast day and all the days of our lives are not any material things like gold, frankincense and myrrh, but our very hearts and ultimately our whole being.  Our families, neighbourhoods, nations and in fact, our world are polarised, and we need to present these to the Lord in prayer. Our actions must show the world that we truly have found the King of the universe and the Prince of peace to be shared. In this way, Christ will accept our offering, and we will return by another way, which is becoming new creatures, allowing Jesus to live in us so that we can become wiser and better men and women, making all things new in our world. Once this happens, we can become evangelizers to our own kind with joy and enthusiasm, showing Christ in us to others. Have a blessed feast of the Epiphany!!!