Epiphany Thoughts



Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the showing-forth of Christ to the world.  Here are five insights from the Gospel for today (Matthew 2.1-12) on how we might encounter the God who shows himself to us.

 1. Observe.  Just as the Magi saw the star which was a sign to them of the birth of a king, so if we attend to the people, places and stuff of life around us we may find signs of God.

 2. Unexpected.  The Magi go to Jerusalem, only to find that they are in the wrong place.  God is found in unexpected and out of the way places, in stables rather than palaces.

 3. The Bible.  When the scribes need to answer Herod's question, they turn to the Bible.  We too can find God shown-forth to us in Scripture.  We should read it, little and often, and we will find it shows us God.

 4. Silence.  It is in the restfulness of dreams that God tells the Magi to return home a different way.  So too in silence and space can God reveal himself to us today.

 5. A Change in Ourselves.  The Magi take "another road" home.  We will find that we are changed by our encounter with God, and that sometimes we only encounter God by attending to that change.

 Epiphany is a time for seeing God.  I hope that these five insights from today's Gospel may help us to do that.


Based on a homily given at Derby Cathedral 6.1.14.

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