The Epiphany of Our Lord

Jesus for the World

The adoration of the Magi and their visit to Jesus is a revelation of this idea. Epiphany celebrates the event of the star appearing to the three wise men and the subsequent working of the  Holy Spirit in them to lead them to faith and a recognition of Christ’s deity. The first Gentile believers, these men represent the rest of us in the Gentile world who are likewise called to faith.

The figures of the Three Wise Men have long been part of popular imagination, with many theorizing who they were and where they came from. As early as the third century, these men were considered by the early Church to be kings, likely due to the prophecy in Psalm 72:11 that says, “may all kings fall down before him.” It is also clear that these men would have had to possess a lot of resources, money, and influence to travel such a long way in order to follow a star they had seen at night.

According to Church tradition, they came from places as far away as India, Persia, Arabia, and/or Ethiopia. Tradition also holds that their names were Melchoir, Caspar, and Balthazar.

The reasons why the Three Kings’ chose their gifts, recorded in the gospel of Matthew, have also been passed down through the Church’s history. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are more than just expensive gifts only attainable in far-off countries. The Church sees them as a confession of who Jesus was and what he would do. Gold is a symbol of kings. Frankincense, an incense, is a symbol of deity, given to Jesus as an acknowledgment that he was God made flesh. Myrrh, an embalming oil, is a symbol of death, foretelling Jesus’ death and sacrifice for all mankind.

A Brief History

As its name implies, the Feast of the Epiphany was first celebrated in the Eastern Church and adopted into the Western Church only at the end of the fourth century, about one hundred years after its inception in the East. In the Eastern Church, this feast actually commemorated Christ’s birth, which explains why it is sometimes known as the “Old Christmas Day” and historically linked with the Feast of the Nativity. When the West adopted the feast, however, Epiphany began to be separated from the traditional Christmastide period, being seen instead as a separate commemoration.

This separation of Christmas and Epiphany is part of why we celebrate the well known Twelve Days of Christmas, with the beginning of Epiphany on January 5th referred to as the Twelfth Night and serving as the bridge between the two liturgical seasons.

Yet despite the varying timelines of the feast’s beginnings, the Church’s acknowledgment of the Magi’s travels and homage to the infant Jesus are found even earlier in Church history. Their story is even depicted in some of the earliest Christian art on record, including in a painting at the Priscilla Catacomb of Rome that dates back to the second century.

Along with the adoration of the Magi, two other Biblical events heralded as best displaying the recognition of Jesus by the world are celebrated throughout the rest of the multi-week Epiphany season: the baptism of Jesus and the miracle of the wedding at Cana. Although these three biblical accounts used to be celebrated all at once during the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, over time they were separated from the Feast of the Three Kings, instead being commemorated on their own during the following Sundays of Epiphany.

Although the season of Epiphany varies every year due to how early or late Easter falls, these three events are always celebrated during the Epiphany season before the transition into the pre-Lent season in the Lutheran Church’s one-year lectionary.

Thus, it is no surprise that some of the richest Epiphany traditions reflect these three events. One custom was that January 6th was a common wedding day in the Church, with lavish celebrations that would last over the course of many days. Many early Christians thought that it was only appropriate that the joy of Jesus’ coming be mirrored in a joyous wedding feast, recalling the wedding at Cana and giving a foretaste of Jesus’ second coming.

Another tradition was the blessing of homes. Performed by a pastor—or in his absence, the father of the household—Epiphany would mark a time when these services would often be held. This aptly reflected the notion that Epiphany celebrates God visiting his people in their places of dwelling, becoming manifest to them and the world.

Collect

O, God, who by the leading of a start didst manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Lessons

Resources

References:
1. Urlin, Ethel L. Festivals, Holy Days, and Saints’ Days: A Study in Origins and Survivals in Church Ceremonies and Secular Customs. Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd. 1915.
2. Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs: The Year of the Lord in Liturgy and Folklore. Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 1952.
3. Encyclopedia Britannica entry on Magi
4. Parsch, Pius. The Church’s Year of Grace: Advent to Candlemas. The Liturgical Press. 1963.
5. Lindemann, the Rev. Fred H. The Sermon and The Propers, Volume I: The Advent and Epiphany Seasons. Concordia Publishing House. 1958.
6. Weedon, William. Celebrating the Saints. Concordia Publishing House. 2016.

Images:
1. Adoration of the Magi, Hendrick Goltzius, The Netherlands, 1593.
2. The Adoration of the Magi, Matthias Stom, The Netherlands, ca. 1630-1649.
3. Adoration of the Magi in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Unknown, United States of America, ca. 1850-1900.