Epiphany Sunday 2018 | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginMatthew 2:1-12 (ESV)The Visit of the Magi2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.”3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:6“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.’”7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.The Feast of the Epiphany is one of those relatively rare days in the Christian year when the Gospel reading is always the same. Although this has long been a major feast of the Church - and of special importance in the Eastern Orthodox tradition - only Matthew makes any mention of the strange event on which it is based.Definition of epiphany:-a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.-a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.Today we also acknowledge the Baptism of Jesus. It is in itself, an epiphany. As the Eastern Church points out, it is at this moment that we see for the first time the union of God the Creator, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We see something else as well - Christ accepting baptism by John, a sign that Jesus accepts humanity, his own and ours... in its struggles, limitations, burdens, and hope of the divine and otherly.‘Epiphanic moments' are those times when, quite suddenly, something of the greatest importance strikes us unexpectedly. At the Feast of the Epiphany we commemorate and celebrate the moment at which the universal importance of the Jewish religion is, for the first time, revealed to the whole world - when the birth of the historical Jesus is revealed to be the incarnation of the eternal Son of God. All the rumors, all the prophecies, all hope... Everything coming true.May we be open this new season / new year. Open to being comfortable with being uncomfortable... to learn, hope, and change... to be who we are being compelled and called to be.Music by The Brilliance and Stars of the Lid

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