Devotion: Epiphany

Please take a few moments to read Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 tells of Epiphany, a festival day in the church that is celebrated each year on January 6. This is the day that concludes the traditional 12 days of Christmas and marks the day that the Wise Men visit Jesus as a young boy.  

It’s a well-known story that’s been told over the ages and embellished by well-meaning scholars and readers alike. It seems we have a penchant for filling in the details, even when we’re not quite sure what those details may be. For instance, we’re not actually told how many Wise Men travelled to see Jesus, but we’ve decided it was three; and we’re not really sure what mode of transportation they used, but we’ve included camels in our depictions (and named the camels, too). 

If you take just the basics of the story though, it seems too simple. The only information we’re really given is that these Wise Men from the East followed a star to find Jesus so that they could bring him gifts. Somehow, these men, who were not even of the Jewish faith, recognized the cosmic significance of Jesus’ birth, and knew they needed to bring him gifts appropriate for royalty. The Gospel of John’s words ring true here: “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.” (John 1:11).

But what if it really was that simple? What if we strip away all the details that we get caught up with in this story? Then we’re left with Wise Men who arrive in Jerusalem with a question, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” And after their search is completed, in verse 10, we hear: “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.”

Do you ever feel like perhaps you’re overwhelmed with all the wrong things? I know I often get so caught up in the details that I forget their purpose in the first place. This story of finding Jesus all begins because someone “observed” a special star shining in the sky. Someone stopped in the midst of the details–the meetings, the ball games, the concerts, and the latest gossip, perhaps–and noticed what was right in front of them. And it ended up being something (or someone) no one else seemed to notice–God with us, Emmanuel.

The wisdom of the Wise Men seems like a good thing to carry with us into this new year. My prayer is that we each observe God’s presence with us a little more, and that we each spend a little more time being overwhelmed with joy, rather than anything else. 

God of light, help us to see your star shining amongst us on the darkest as well as the brightest of days. Help us to be overwhelmed with your joy rather than anything else in this world. When we start to stray and find ourselves getting caught up in the details, bring us back to the simplest, yet most outstanding gift you’ve ever given: your love through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Written by Pastor Sarah Ruch

Pastor Sarah serves as Sheridan’s Associate Pastor of Local Outreach and Missions. She began her ministry at Sheridan in August of 2022 as Transitional Pastor until October 2022, when she was called as Associate Pastor.

Pastor Sarah lives in Lincoln with her husband Miles, and children; Hannah, Caleb and Aaron.