The Light That Leads Us Home
Epiphany 2026
Opening Thought
The ornaments may be starting to come down, and the world is rushing to get "back to normal," but in the church, we are just getting started. This Sunday, we observe The Epiphany, a word that simply means "manifestation" or "showing forth."
As we consider the Magi today, I want you to try a thought experiment. Can you imagine waking up one morning and announcing to your family, "I’m going to travel hundreds of miles through the desert to see a baby I don’t know"?
It sounds absurd to us. To be honest, I sometimes complain about driving down Vineville Avenue just to get to the grocery store—and I have an air-conditioned car, not a camel! We often don't want to get up and go anywhere that inconveniences us. We grumble about traffic; we say we are going to an event and then don't show up because we're tired; we turn around and go back home at the slightest obstacle.
But the Magi didn't turn around. They left their countries and everything they knew was safe to travel a dangerous and arduous journey. And the danger was real—in the Gospel according to Matthew, King Herod asks the Magi to report the location of the Child back to him. He feigns a desire to worship, but in reality, he wants to eliminate a rival.
Think of the amazing fortitude and resilience the Magi possessed to endure this journey and navigate a possible death plot, all for the sake of Jesus. Instead of turning back, they pressed on, brought Him their gifts, and worshipped Him. And when it was over, they were wise enough to leave by "another way" so that they wouldn't be found by Herod's armies—ensuring that this Christ Child would survive to eventually save us all from ourselves.
This Sunday invites us to ask: Do we have that kind of resilience? Are we willing to be inconvenienced by the journey? Epiphany reminds us that God often shows up in the places we least expect, revealing His glory to those who are simply willing to seek Him.
Engaging the Word
The readings for Epiphany trace the light as it breaks over the horizon.
Isaiah (60:1-6) serves as the "wake-up call" for the season. "Arise, shine; for your light has come." Isaiah speaks to a people who feel surrounded by deep darkness, promising them that the glory of the Lord will rise upon them like the dawn. He vividly predicts the coming of the nations, bringing "gold and frankincense" to proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Psalm 72 is the prayer that this new King will be one of justice. It describes a ruler who defends the poor, delivers the needy, and crushes the oppressor—a King worthy of the tribute of "the kings of Tarshish and the isles."
In Ephesians (3:1-12), Paul explains the "mystery" that the Epiphany reveals: that the Gentiles (the outsiders) have become fellow heirs. The walls of division are coming down. The promise is no longer just for one nation, but for the whole world.
Finally, Matthew (2:1-12) tells the story of the Magi. It is a story of contrasts: the paranoia of King Herod, who sees Jesus as a threat to his power, versus the joy of the Magi, who see Jesus as the object of their worship. The story ends with the detail that they "left for their own country by another road," avoiding Herod and carrying the news of the King back to the nations.
A Journey in Song: Our Musical Guides
Our music this Sunday captures the grandeur of the "Light of the World" while maintaining the sense of a journey.
Entrance Hymn: We begin with "Hail to the Lord's Anointed" (#616). This strong, rhythmic hymn paraphrases Psalm 72, announcing that Christ comes to "break oppression" and "set the captive free."
Sequence Hymn: To prepare for the Gospel reading, we sing "We three kings of Orient are" (#128). This American carol sets the stage perfectly for the story we are about to hear. Notice how the verses describing the gifts (Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh) sound somber and minor-key, reflecting the heavy symbolism of the gifts (Kingship, Divinity, and Death), while the refrain ("O Star of wonder") bursts into the major key, full of light and hope.
Anthem at the Offertory: The choir offers the stirring anthem "Arise, Shine" by George Elvey. This Victorian anthem takes its text directly from our Old Testament reading in Isaiah. It is a musical proclamation of the Epiphany message, commanding Zion to rise up because the glory of the Lord has risen upon her. It perfectly captures the celebratory and waking nature of the season.
Presentation Hymn: "Songs of thankfulness and praise" (#135). This hymn acts as a "Table of Contents" for the Epiphany season, listing the ways Christ is manifested: the star, the baptism in Jordan, the wedding at Cana, and the healing of the sick.
Communion Hymn: We share the meal to the 15th-century carol "Unto us a boy is born" (#98). The Puer nobis tune has a medieval simplicity that feels timeless. It connects the "King of all creation" to the "poor and mean" cradle, echoing the humility the Magi found in Bethlehem—and the humility of Christ present in the bread and wine.
Post-Communion Hymn: We sing "As with Gladness men of old" (#119). The text is a prayer: just as the star guided the Magi, we ask the Lord to "keep us in the narrow way." We leave the church with the hope that when "earthly things are past," we will arrive in the heavenly country where we need no star because Christ Himself is the light.
A Closing Note on our Journey
The Gospel tells us the Magi "left for their own country by another road." Historically, we know they did this to avoid the deadly plot of King Herod. But on a deeper level, "another road" signifies their changed lives.
Once you have truly seen the Lord, you cannot go back the way you came. You are made new.
The ancient writers and artists understood this transformation through the metaphor of Light. While not found in our canonical Scriptures, there is a rich history of apocryphal texts and Christian mysticism that expands on this idea. For instance, the Protoevangelium of James (an early non-biblical writing) describes a great light coming from Jesus that filled the cave. Similarly, the mystic St. Bridget of Sweden wrote of a vision where the light emanating from the Christ Child was so intense that it completely obscured the candle Joseph was holding.
Though these stories are not Scripture, they capture a theological truth that artists like Correggio and Rembrandt painted into their masterpieces. Rembrandt’s Adoration of the Shepherds (1646) is the definitive example of this technique, known as chiaroscuro. In the painting, the stable is dark, and none of the lanterns or candles provide the illumination. Instead, the light radiates entirely from the baby Jesus, lighting up the faces of those around Him.
This is what happened to the Magi. Christ changed them. They could not return to their old lives or their old roads. They went out into the world made new, carrying that glorious light within them.
My prayer for us is that we do the same. Where can you spread the Light of Christ in your community? How can you be this light to other people who only see or live in darkness? And what about the darkness within yourself? How can this Light of Christ change that darkness to light?
We should remember that this has been—and will be—done already for us, not just in the birth of Christ, but in His suffering and dying on the cross. Jesus came into this world to redeem the world.
Come, risen Lord, and dwell among us. Dwell within our hearts that we may show the light of your countenance to all people, and that in the end, we might all be saved by your loving grace.
A Prayer for the Week Ahead
Let us pray that we may walk as children of the light.
For the courage to follow where God leads, even when the journey is long and the destination isn't clear,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the nations of the world, that they may come to your light and that peace may rule on earth,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who are searching for truth, that they may find in us a reflection of your love and grace,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the willingness to offer you our costliest treasures—our hearts, our time, and our wills,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Concluding Collect for The Epiphany:
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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