When the light finally goes on it is fun to watch! If you’ve raised a child, tried to share a skill with another person, or struggled yourself to understand a set of instructions or get hold of a concept, and the “light goes on” you know what I’m talking about. A little leaguer throws off the correct foot, a budding fisherman makes the ideal cast, the third grader understands a mathematical equation, these all bring good feelings to the top.
Imagine the feelings of the Wise Men who with their intuitive grasping that something good would come out of their following the Star of the East finally see it “stopped over the place where the Child was.” Yes, now their trip was at its end, now their navigation skills had proven to the accurate, and now they stood where they hoped they would be when they began this mysterious trip. They had accomplished all they wanted to do and now they would be in a place to discover what it was all about. We are not told too much about what impact this had on them. We are told they presented their gifts and then they “returned to their own country by another road.” I hope they discovered much more.
When we make an illuminating discovery, I don’t think we simply accept it as a done deal and then move on. At least I hope we don’t. Discovering the Child is just the first part of the illumination, the new light that is now shows us who we are and who we can be. Seeing the Baby Jesus is one thing, becoming immersed in what that Child means for us is quite another.
Discovering the “gift” for the little leaguer, budding fisherman, or third grader opens the door for them to grow into who they can become. May we while following the Wise Men and being illumined by the discovery of the Child, have “the light go on” inside of us. May we see this as but the first part of many new discoveries into who we are and who God has made us to be. God is not finished with us until we meet him face to face.
Happy Epiphanny.
Prayer: Shine in my heart Lord Jesus. Amen Pastor Jerry Tomorrow: Sudden Realization
