Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘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.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we celebrate the season of Epiphany as we start a new year. The word epiphany means a sudden or great realization. We might use it when something we were unaware of suddenly becomes clear, allowing us to see things in a new way because of newfound knowledge.
Through the season of Epiphany, we are called to see the baby in the manger for who he really is…the son of God, humanity and divinity intertwined. We hear biblical narratives with signs that reveal Jesus’ true identity. And so, we are called to recognize the baby as more than just any baby and to carry this epiphany—this revelation of who he is—through the days, months, and year ahead.
Today, we get our first Epiphany narrative. The Magi were astrologers who read the stars for signs pointing to the future. They saw something in the sky that told them a king of the Jews was being born. They went to Herod to learn more, and he told them the child was in Bethlehem, asking them to report back after they had seen him.
But upon reaching the house where Mary and Jesus were, the Magi experienced an epiphany. Although they were not Jews and didn’t know anything about the prophecies about this baby, they saw something more in him—something unexpected. They saw divinity and this changed their lives. Instead of returning to Herod to report on the child, who would be a potential threat to his rule, they returned to their homeland by another route.
The fact that it was a star that led them to this epiphany is significant. A star is a symbol of light, something that shines through the darkness of night. The bright star shone on the child, illuminating understanding in the minds of the Magi. It signified awareness…the light of knowledge, the light of epiphany.
As we enter 2025, we may feel a range of emotions about the new year. Perhaps we think, “Dang, another year—please let it not suck like the last one.” Or maybe we feel excited, anticipating wonderful things on the horizon. Some of us might be blasé, thinking, “Whatever, who cares.”
But no matter where our hearts and minds are, what truly matters is whether we, like the Magi, can see the light of the epiphanies being shone into our lives in this new year. Can we recognize the signs? Can we notice what we need to learn about Jesus, our faith, God, and ourselves? Are we attentive to where we’re being called to go?
It’s not easy to be aware of these epiphanies. As we heard in today’s reading and those coming in the weeks ahead, the Bible gives us “super signs” like bright stars that point to epiphanies. But in our lives, we rarely, if ever, get such clear signals. Often, we’re too busy or distracted to notice the light around us. The reality of living in a fast-paced, noisy world can cloud our minds and obscure the ways God enters our lives, offering us epiphanies.
In response, I offer you star words. I had never heard of star words until preparing for this service. While researching ways to make our services more meaningful, I came across a post in a clergy Facebook group that mentioned star words, so I looked them up.
Star words, also called star gifts, are a prayer practice growing in popularity across denominations. Intention words or guiding words are printed on paper stars and placed face-down on a table. During the service, you are invited to take one—I suggest you do this during the peace or as you come up for or leave communion—but don’t look at your star word before choosing it. Simply choose blindly and trust the word you get.
Put the star word somewhere you’ll see it regularly throughout the year and reflect on it. Consider how God might be moving through, around, or in connection to that word. If you don’t like your word, you can switch it, though I encourage you to trust the process (I’m not the star police, so I am not going to monitor who changes their word).
There’s nothing magical about this. You can believe God guided you to your word or the whole thing is entirely random. Either way, the purpose is to use the word to notice where God might be revealing something to you, offering you an epiphany this year. Maybe it will inspire growth, or maybe it won’t. We’re all different, and not everything works for everyone.
What you do with your word is entirely up to you. You might toss it in the recycle bin…or you might look it up in the Bible, find quotes about it, or ask yourself what it could mean for your year.
So, today, as we reflect on epiphanies and the Magi—astrologers whose lives were changed by the light of a star—take your star word and see if there’s an epiphany in it for you. This season is about finding where God is shining light into your life. Stay alert. Don’t miss the signs.
I want to end this sermon with a prayer that I found for star words. It is printed on the handouts at the back of the worship space, that you can take if you’d like, as a resource if you think that you might find this star word concept useful for you.
Let us pray: God, we acknowledge that we are not always ready to receive your best gifts for us. You have given us an epiphany word in order that our searching will bring us to you. It is often our habit to turn aside, stumble over, or even reject experiences and encounters that we later understand to have been precious gifts. Help us to be open to the gift that you will offer us through our star words. We acknowledge that we do not fully understand what this word might mean for our faith, but we receive it from you with gratitude and pray that your Spirit will enable us to live into our word with intention and faithfulness.
Amen.
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