Belated Epiphanies

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in church on Epiphany Sunday. The church was decorated with a big star, and all the hymns were about how a star led the wise men to Jesus. The word epiphany means sudden revelation or insight. I guess the Magi had an ‘Aha’ moment as they recognized Christ? It all seemed a bit muddled to me. I had plenty of other pressing things to think about, so I dropped it for the time being.

Today, I started thinking about it again. I thought about the symbolism of the star, how its purpose was not merely to shine, but also to point the way to Jesus. I think we all want to be bright shining stars, yet we forget that our purpose is to call attention to something besides ourselves. We are meant to be spotlights for Christ.

I also wondered why these wise men couldn’t find Jesus by themselves? After all, they were known for their wisdom! They had pre-conceived ideas on how God would show up. However, God manifested Himself in an unexpected way—vulnerable, powerless and poor. Sometimes it’s difficult for even the wisest, worldliest people to recognize God’s revelations.

“God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” (1 Cor. 1:27 NLT)

Often simple folks are given insights that the intellectuals are not given. Perhaps this is because the intellectuals are prone to questioning everything, even truths that are beyond their understanding.

Even though it took a few weeks for it to make it through my thick head, here are two belated epiphanies: We are meant to shine brightly, pointing others to God. Our pre-conceived notions about God can sometimes become a hindrance to recognizing His presence.