[Some of you have seen this post before. It first appeared January 3, 2021. It’s one of my favorites so I’ve re-posted it several times. As I see it, the “Epiphany” occurs in you and that means you can experience it daily. I guess you could say this post is my “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” You’re welcome to leave a comment whether you did previously or not.]
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Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, commemorates the adoration of Jesus by magi from the East. They had observed an astrological sign pointing to the birth of a Jewish king.
They set off following a certain star west to Jerusalem. The star patiently waited (twiddling its thumbs) for them to finish consulting with King Herod before leading them south to Bethlehem.
There they knelt before the child.
Some say the star of Bethlehem was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Some say it was a comet, a supernova, or a double occultation of Jupiter by the moon.
Oh, stop!
The star of Bethlehem is poetry. It’s Jewish poetry echoing the prophet Isaiah’s song that had been in the Jewish Top Ten for 500 years.
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light,
kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they gather together, they come to you;
A multitude of camels shall cover you.
They shall bring gold and frankincense.
Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
nor devastation or destruction within your borders.
That’s a dream from a battered and beaten people, not unlike our own.
Imagine all the people sharing all the world.
We don’t need astronomers to verify the Bethlehem star any more than we need them to verify the star that appeared at the birth of Emperor Augustus.
We don’t need gynecologists to verify the virgin birth of Jesus any more than we need them to verify the virgin birth of Romulus and Remus.
And when a poet says: My love is a rose, we don’t need a botanist.
It’s poetry. It’s devotional language. We use it all the time. My granddaughter is the most beautiful child in the world! We don’t need beauty pageant judges.
The beautiful child of Bethlehem would become not a king but a servant, one who knelt before others to wash their feet. This child of Judaism would do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
The world doesn’t need a king or messiah. The world needs servants of love.
If you follow the star of Bethlehem today it will lead you to yourself. It will show you that you are a beautiful child of God.
That’s an epiphany.
And that will bring you to your knees.
Thanks to the Buddhist monks who walk in peace. They’re reaching people as they show us the way in love, peace and kindness. We need them to show us.
Good to hear from you Sally
Good one, Randy. Our lives are a gift of God — with a calling: to love our neighbor as ourselves.
“The world doesn’t need a king or messiah. The world needs servants of love.” YES.
You don’t need a camel, an astrologer or a diploma to understand – a child, a star…come to show us a way.
Eureka.
I love this epiphany. Cycling thru the dark of winter; awakening – again & again! Like the breath…. Thank you Randy.
yes, like the breath. Thank you Ardyth.
Oh, my friend Randy, this is one of my favorite posts of yours, too. Poetry, the greatest of story tellers perhaps. Jesus himself is poetry, I think. The perfectly created image, and us an image therein. Thank you for resharing this. I was also pondering Epiphany and epiphanies today. It’s pure magic and delight to share with you.
I got stuck on a multitude of camels, alas…
Absolutely your best. I was not yet a subscriber when this originally posted.
It’s a wise person whi can hold contradictory ideas, issues, reality at the same time in the same mind. That’s why we love you, Randy. Great epiphany.
“If you follow the star of Bethlehem today, it will lead you to yourself. It will show you that you are a beautiful child of God.
That’s an epiphany.
And that will bring you to your knees.”
Is there a more perfect/whole universal mantra for humankind? Randy, without humility, I say that this is spiritual genius. Thank you, infinitely.
Thank you Randy! You’ve brought me to my wondrous tears!
Happy Epiphany, Randy
I’m late for this one, and not just because I’ve read it before. I was traveling back to the frozen, dry wastes of WV from a glorious time in The Bay Area with my two sons and families, which includes my “grand-dog” Hamlet. Now I’ll remain in a daze for several days.Yes. Traveling from west to east affects me more than going the other way.
Indeed. The birth of a child is a miracle to behold. How is it even possible? We can attest to the fact that’s how we all got here so life is a miracle in and of itself. Yet we take it for granted, squander it, and flounder about, as humans do. It does me well to pause, find those quiet moments within myself, wherever I am. Be it in the hustle and bustle of an airport or finally being alone for the first time in two weeks where I find it often astounding how much white static goes off inside of my now shredded, Swiss Cheese of a brain. Trying to quiet myself is a tall order, especially when the silence that surrounds me is totally deafening. On this day of Epiphany, let’s silence the biggest noise that harasses us, ourselves. The Wisemen were on a quest, as we all are. Let’s carry on the tradition and get about it.