Divine Life

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3906 North Donald Avenue Bethany, OK, 73008

We are a church rooted in Word and Sacrament, as well as the Christian theological and spiritual tradition. In worship and work, we are efforting together to become like Christ, communally and personally. Our mission is to embrace one another with love, as well as our neighbor, our enemy, and the stranger; to embody in hope the good news of the Kingdom of God; and to encounter by faith the Father of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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A Reflection on Epiphany

January 06, 2022  /  Jill Engelhardt

Epiphany is the season of the church calendar that follows the journey of the Magi to Christ.  Their story is briefly accounted in Matthew 2.  Literarily, they function to show that “pagan Gentiles,” though without the revelation of Torah, could follow the light to worship the Christ.  They were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. 

The Magi were astrologers.  Ignore, at least for now, the implications of astrology in Scripture, and attend, instead, to what this may have to teach us about how God works.  As astrologers, study of the stars would have been common activity for them.  It was in their ordinary occupation that God revealed Godself unto them in a way that they could understand.  The Magi would likely have valued astrological signs (like the star in Matthew) and understood some as indicating the birth of someone important, so it is not surprising that they would take notice of the star.  What intrigues me is their willingness to leave home to find “the King of the Jews,” a king they do not even claim as their own, and worship him.  Their willingness to go on the journey, to be led, should challenge us who do claim Jesus as our King.

We must be willing to follow the light as it is revealed to us in our ordinary occupations if we are to find the Christ.  How can we learn to recognize a star that calls for following from all the others that are shining as brightly?  Are we willing to embark on the journey and accept where it leads?  Are we willing to seek that we might find?  Are we willing to knock that the door might be opened?  Are we willing to ask that we might receive?

If you are interested in learning more about common misconceptions regarding the Magi from the East, you should check out https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/magi. It’s really accessible and sorts out the Matthean story from later Christian traditions.

 

Jill Engelhardt

Jill Engelhardt is a PhD in New Testament. She graduated in 2019 from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, TX. She is a published author and freelance writer. She has been a member of Divine Life church for the better part of 15 years. She lives in Fort Worth with her husband and her dog.

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