Gifts of the Magi

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. (excerpt from Matthew 2:1-12)

Epiphany, the last Sunday in the Advent-Christmas season, is my favorite day in the Christmas season. As a child I don't remember having a separate observance of Epiphany at church. Perhaps the pastor gave a sermon about the story of Magi on the Sunday closest to January 6; I don't really remember.

I came to love the idea of Epiphany in college, when I learned that "epiphany" is a word that means "a sudden realization of a great truth."

How often has that happened to you? It has happened to me a lot--suddenly a lot of facts and feelings come together in my brain and I understand my world and my life in a new way. An epiphany can be frightening or inspiring, but it changes everything forever. 

I see Epiphany as a day to celebrate not just the Epiphany that Jesus came to be the savior of the world, but to celebrate and seek out other epiphanies.

What does Epiphany mean to you?