O God of light and peace, whose glory still draws all people near, dispel the darkness that clouds our path so we may worship Christ with open hearts and lives guided by his teachings. Amen.

1. A Prayer For The People of God
O God of light and peace,
whose glory, shining in the child of Bethlehem,
still draws the nations to yourself:
dispel the darkness that shrouds our path,
that we may come to kneel
before Christ in true worship,
offer him our hearts and souls,
and return from his presence to live as he has taught.
Amen.

3. epiphany
a manifestation of a divine/supernatural being;
a moment of sudden revelation/insight;
the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles

4. matthew 2:1-12
more CLUES to the mystery

5. Transforming Community (Chicago)
If we are not comfortable with mystery, we are not
comfortable with the very gospel we preach. The journey
of transformation requires some measure of willingness
to relinquish control and give ourselves over to a process
we cannot fully understand nor can we predict the
outcome. We know we will be more like Christ but we
cannot predict exactly what the person of Christ lived
in and through us will look like or where it will take us.

6. TheMagi
HeQi(FullerTheologicalSeminary)

7. In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judea, Magi from
the East came to Jerusalem, asking,
"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.”
When King Herod heard this, he was
frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
and calling together all the chief priests
and scribes of the people, he inquired of
them where the Messiah was to be born.
MATTHEW
2:1-4

8. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea;
for so it has been written by the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers
of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”
(Micah 5:2, 4) Then Herod secretly called
for the Magi and learned from them the
exact time when the star had appeared.
MATTHEW
2:5-7

9. TheJourneyoftheMagi
JamesJacquesJosephTissot(1894)

10. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
"Go and search diligently for the child;
and when you have found him, bring me
word so that I may also go and pay him
homage.” When they had heard the king,
they set out; and there, ahead of them,
went the star that they had seen at its
rising, until it stopped over the place
where the child was. When they saw
that the star had stopped, they were
overwhelmed with joy.
MATTHEW
2:8-10

11. On entering the house, they saw the child
with Mary his mother; and they knelt down
and paid him homage. Then, opening their
treasure chests, they offered him gifts
of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream
not to return to Herod, they left
for their own country by another road.
MATTHEW
2:11-12

12. matthew 2:1-12
more CLUES to the mystery

13. thoughts on today’s passage…
1. Jesus is revealed to be king and priest,
God and man, alive and soon to die

14. thoughts on today’s passage…
1. Jesus is revealed to be king and priest,
God and man, alive and soon to die
2. Jesus reveals God to be the One who is
with, for, and given unto all the people
of the world, even those who are seeking
in ways we don’t agree with or understand,
and even when God’s own people miss it

15. “Matthew is not condoning
horoscopes as a normal way of
seeking God’s guidance. Rather:
God will reveal (God’s self)
wherever people are looking...
God reserves the right to reveal
(God’s self) wherever God
chooses. People may find God
in the Koran, in horoscopes, in
ancestral worship, and so on, but
their initial revelation of God
must find confirmation in…Jesus.”

16. thoughts on today’s passage…
3. The Magi responded to the revelation of Jesus
with joy, humility and generosity

17. thoughts on today’s passage…
3. The Magi responded to the revelation of Jesus
with joy, humility and generosity
4. We, too, must choose active resistance against
acts of injustice by leaders who seek to
use us for their own gain and purpose,
no matter what it costs us;
righteousness > “law and order”

18. matthew 2:1-12
more CLUES to the mystery

19. Benediction
Radiant Morning Star,
you who are both guidance and mystery,
visit our rest with disturbing dreams,
and our journeys with strange companions.
Grace us with the hospitality
to open our hearts and homes
to visitors filled with unfamiliar wisdom
bearing profound and unusual gifts.
Amen.