In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men 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. 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.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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. 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 2:1-12
On Wednesday January 6, Christians around the world celebrated The Epiphany. The Epiphany, the story told above in the Gospel of Matthew, is an extraordinary story—three powerful men are sent on a mission to find the “King of the Jews.” Expecting to find a man of wealth and power, they carry treasure chests of gold, frankincense, and Myrrh. Yet, instead, they are brought to their knees at the sight of a simple newborn child brought into the world in the humblest of places, a stable, lying in a manger.
On January 6, 2021, men of power in our nation’s capital were again brought to their knees. While the wise men were “overwhelmed with joy,” men and women in Washington and throughout the country were overwhelmed with sadness, horror, and anger. We watched the hallowed temple of our Democracy besieged and desecrated by an angry mob, desecrated with hateful images of white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and anarchy. This particular scene—and the images of chaos, hatred, and bigotry associated with it—is about as far as one could get from the beatific images of joy,wonder, and love this Holy day invokes for so many Christians around the world.
This unfortunate coincidence creates a kind of cognitive and cultural dissonance in which we are left to reconcile two radically different events rooted in two mutually exclusive realities. For the day of Epiphany marks the day when political power is humbled by spiritual power. When those wise men bend the knee in homage to Jesus, the son of God, for a moment at least, political motives and calculations are eschewed (these three wise men were political operatives sent to spy out this potential threat to Herod’s reign) in recognition of a greater spiritual power.
May we return to the promise and hope of this day, as did the three wise men, and dare to “travel another road.” May we travel together, united in a common cause of justice and democracy for all people; a common cause of hope over despair, love over hatred, and unity over division. Though the road ahead may be dark and uncertain, may we be guided by the light of God’s love and the promise of liberty and justice for all.
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face. Amen
--The Rev. Katie Solter
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