Epiphany Now

To walk across the Jordanian desert would take weeks. The three Kings caravanned after viewing a star in the sky. Think about this, what kind of epiphany would it take in your gut to convince your family, your country, your temple guards that you needed to make a pilgrimage West to see a baby being born, give him the most expensive gift you have to give, travel alone and all you are basing this gut feeling on is the formation of the stars. And if that isn’t wild enough, you meet at least two other kings with the exact same story on your journey.

From a logical standpoint, the odds of this really happening are slim to none. But this story brings with it something much deeper than logic. This story carries the majesty of an appointed epiphany.

Webster defines Epiphany as a “Sudden Realization.” The Magi suddenly realize the interplay of God in the world. The presence of the Magi validates Jesus’ divinity.

And these are Gentile Kings. Matthew is invariably saying, “Jesus is more than just king of the Jews, Jesus is king over all people. All races. All tribes. All kingdoms. Jesus is Lord of all.”

This story is just a blip in the greater narrative of Jesus’ life. But without it, we would be deprived of seeing divinity intersecting with humanity. We would lose out on the majesty that comes with the birth of our savior. We would lose out on the validation that God is making things happen in the world. We would miss the complexities that come with Jesus being the Lord and Savior to all people – not just to the Jews. We would miss Jesus’ divine spark over all of life.

This week we celebrate the sudden realization that because of the birth of Jesus Christ, everything changes.

Life changes. God changes. Love changes. Our salvific narrative changes.

And all of this happened because three men from a far off place listened to an inner voice saying that something important is happening. Something mysterious is taking place. Something holy is occurring. And to go to that mystery will change them forever.

Just like to the Magi, God speaks to us. You just have to be intentional about listening, and you are going to have to be willing to take a chance on a gut feeling.

An epiphany is a sudden realization that things are about to change. Life is about to change. For the Magi, their lives will never be the same. For us, we have the chance to hear our epiphany. We have a new year to make new choices, to choose Christ, to listen to the God in our lives, to change the direction of our daily schedule. To focus on what our gut, the Holy Spirit, is communicating to us. We have a chance to live with God in the present, to feel God in the now.

But remember, epiphanies don’t mean much if you don’t follow them.

In 2010, my prayer is you will follow your gut. You will choose a life that listens and moves by the voice of God. You will be so bold to allow God to shape you, move you, and change you. You will not be satisfied with your current relationship with Christ but will choose to move and be with the Spirit. You will embrace the presence of Christ and allow the epiphanies to guide you. It may not seem logical, but it will be holy.

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