What’s so special about Epiphany?

What if it never happened? Epiphany, the Wise Men, and all of that? No star, no trip from the East, no gold, frankincense, and myrrh. No questioning of King Herod, no flight by the family into Egypt. No carols, no twelve days of Christmas. Our nativity scenes would be a lot less crowded. What if it never happened?

Would it matter?

If there was no Christmas, of course that would matter. That would mean no Savior!

But what if there was no Epiphany, no Gentiles’ Christmas?


What’s so important about Epiphany that we celebrate it with a special festival worship service? What’s so special about Epiphany that we would name our church after it?

St Paul gives us the answer: “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6).”

In other words, with the wonderful story of the Wise Men, Epiphany shows us that Jesus and His Gospel are for all people. He is here not only for Jews, but also for non-Jews, the Gentiles. He is here for poor and rich, for workers and Wise Men, for you and me.

Perhaps that sounds obvious to you because you’ve heard it so often. Yet Paul calls this a mystery. Something that we would not know if it was not revealed to us – which is what the word epiphany means: to reveal or make known. And with the visit of the Wise Men and their being such an important part of the Christmas story, God wants it known – the child in the manger is born for all. Christmas is for all. His love and forgiveness is for all.

This is a profound mystery!

A God we did not love, a Savior we did not want, the Lord to whom we refused to listen – He is the One who came into this world for sinners like us.

Because we would not come to Him, He came to us. Because we could not become like Him, He became like us.

This is what God has revealed to the world at Epiphany. This is what God has revealed to you.

This is what God wants you to know and believe. That this baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, visited by shepherds, and worshipped by Wise Men, is here for you. No matter when you live, no matter where you live, no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done.

And God wants you to know and believe that in Jesus, something new is happening – not more of the old, but something completely different. The old is out, the new has come. All are now welcome to come to the God made Man. Shepherds come to Him. Wise Men come to Him. Later, lepers and tax collectors will come to Him. Pharisees come to Him. Fishermen come to Him. Sinners like you and me come to Him.

God wanted the Wise Men to know and believe this, just as He wants you to know and believe this. This mystery is good news. Your King has come. He made you heirs, together with His chosen Israel, to share in the promise of Christ Jesus. No one is left out. He has come for all. So all may come to Him.

He has come for you. He has come to serve you. He has come to save you. He has come to forgive you. He has come to die for you. He has come to live again for you. He has come to you to wash and feed and speak.

If God did not reveal this, we would not know it. The mystery would have remained a mystery. But to you – as to the Wise Men – has been given an epiphany.

Christmas on December 25 is important for Christ has come into the world. But Epiphany, the Gentile Christmas, on January 6 is just as important, for it reveals that Christ has come into the world … for the world … for you.

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