Feast of Epiphany
[Go to Mission St Clare for an online version of the Daily Office including today’s scripture readings.]
Today’s Readings for the Daily Office:
Psalms 46, 97 (morning) // 96, 100 (evening)
Isaiah 49:1-7
Revelation 21:22-27
Matthew 12:14-21
Today’s feast of Epiphany celebrates the three wise men who choose to be led by a star rather than follow a roadmap or a ruler. After the wise men observe the star and follow it to the place where the infant Jesus is resting, they have to decide what to do next. When a dream warns them not to report back to King Herod, they disobey Herod’s instructions and return to their homeland by a different road.
There is such a difference between following a light source and following a line on a map. A light pulls our focus beyond the restrictive lines and planes that over-determine our lives. A light shows us a wider field of possible paths and choices. A light guides us gently. It would have been relatively easy for the wise men simply to follow directions, a familiar road, or a local tyrant. But instead they choose to be guided by a light that illumines their path and speaks through their dreams.
Our second reading today gives us a similar vision of light that illumines people’s way. The glory of God is the light, and the Lamb is the lamp, and all the “nations will walk by its light.” Instead of following lines or laws or leaders, the people follow the life-giving wisdom that shines above and beyond them. May the light that we celebrate today lead us to a fuller and brighter kingdom . . . a kingdom whose people walk by light instead of sticking to the lines.
Lora Walsh blogs about taking risks and seeking grace at A Daily Scandal. She serves as curate of Grace Episcopal Church in Siloam Springs and assists with education, young adult ministry, and campus ministry at St. Paul’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas.