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There’s something I’ve always loved about Epiphany. There’s something so powerful about setting aside a specific day every year, this day of January 6, for a major celebration of the church (one older than Christmas, in fact).
That’s why the fear and terror spread by last year’s attack on the Capitol here in the United States was so particularly hurtful and concerning beyond just the very act of violence and division itself. At the time, I said all I believe I can say about that attack.
What I want to do now is speak to the lessons taught to us in this celebration. This feast day is about the manifestation of Christ Jesus in the world. Particular emphasis is given to the star the Magi or Wise Men followed to find the Baby Jesus.
The Magi in following the star went to the logical place for answers: the royal court in Jerusalem. They thought God’s power would be revealed through the display of worldly power.
They were sorely mistaken. King Herod instead of wanting to actually help the Magi decided to use them to find the Baby Messiah and dispose of Him out of jealousy.
On seeing Jesus, though, the Magi begin to see the truth. They are open enough to the revelation of God through the Child that they are able to witness a vision in their dreams warning them to return home by another road.
“The power of God isn’t found in the palace, but in the village.” As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 12:9, the power of God “is made perfect in weakness.”
That is what I wish those who attacked our Capitol last year had heard. It’s what I hope we all will hear now. It is what we learn from the Wise Men’s journey. It is what we see from God’s manifestation to us. If we wish to follow God, the source of true power, we don’t do so by following the ways of this world. We do it by following that tiny, insignificant Child from a backwater village in the Roman Empire. Where we find God’s power most fully is in weakness.