As we arrive at the beginning of a New Year, we hear powerful words that remind us that God’s light shines well beyond the boundaries we create for ourselves. This Sunday in the life of the church, we remember the wise ones who traveled from afar in search of a king. This is a beautiful story of godly surprises. God surprises the wise ones for the new king was not found in a luxurious palace. God surprises those in power with news that a reality of hope exists well beyond their grasps. God surprises us by sending people who reside well beyond our boundaries to witness good news that may have been unnoticed to us. Epiphany is a time of surprises. Advent helped us to prepare for the reality which was to come. In the season of Christmas, we received the good, joyful, wonderful news of Emmanuel, God with us. Now we close this season and move towards living this reality every day—a reality where God makes his presence known to the world. Since Epiphany also officially closes the Christmas season, this might be a good time to take down the tree, unless the plan is to keep changing decorations to match the upcoming holidays.

If you had to take “Into to Astronomy” in school or have some basic understanding of our the universe, you know that the light we see in the night skies has traveled from unimaginable distances to arrive here. We see in the night skies is a reality beyond our reach—something profoundly beautiful that only appears when darkness rises. Ancient scholars studied the stars to decipher the will of the gods and worldly events. There is no shortage of theories that concern the Star of Bethlehem and the origin of wise ones who Matthew reports followed the star to find the infant Jesus. But our concern today is not astrological or anthropological in nature. Today we seek to hear anew the surprising ways the kingdom of God upends worldly system that oppress and dominate.

Do not be mistaken, the Kodak moment nativity scenes that we deeply enjoy today, only exist in our modern minds. First century Palestine is likely not be the type of vacation destination modern people really enjoy. Political and religious tensions were a regular part of life in those days. The Roman conquest of the world which took hold of North Africa, Egypt, Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, and Syria eventually arrived in Judea bringing peace by way of war and fear. The words of Simeon from Pastor Sarah’s sermon last week would strike fear in the heart of any parent. If all that was not enough, Herod was no friend to the Jews. Herod sought to fulfill his obligations to the Rome while keeping the local population appeased. He rose to power through, what some consider to be, brilliant political maneuvering. As a young man, around the age of twenty-five, he was installed as governor of Galilee,[1] and continued to rise to become “King of the Jews” and receive control of all Judea. For one who sought power by any means necessary, the arrival of foreigners seeking a new king would be both surprising, infuriating, and terrifying. But God’s kingdom comes to disrupt the selfish pursuits of our lives. Herod was no exempt from that encounter. Money, power, and prestige cannot shield us from the reality of God’s kingdom. As the Psalmist cried out, “Where could I go to get away from your spirit? Where could I go to escape your presence?”[2] Herod has sudden encounter with unlikely emissaries of God’s good news, the wise ones.

So, here enter the Magi—much later in the story that most children plays will lead you to believe. They had spent many years studying the stars and had first seen the star of the new king about two years before arriving Bethlehem. There is something fascinating about these individuals, their commitment, and faith. They departed their home country and travel a long way in faith that they would find this newborn king of the Jews. Vanderbilt Divinity School professor A. J. Levine, in her commentary on this text, tells us that “although people today t