This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany with examples of various ways God’s presence is revealed.

We hear a “Christmas story” again in this weekend’s readings. God’s glory shines, even in darkness. Christ our light shows how God is for all. A star, a point of light, led the Magi to the infant Jesus. Do we let God’s light shine, even in the darkest places of our lives?

In this country we gave up celebrating kings right around the time of the Boston Tea Party. Our national story was framed against the notion that kings are better than anybody else.

With the possible exception of Samson pulling down the house on the Philistines, the story of the Magi was my favorite Bible story as a kid. It’s just got so much going for it: mysterious royalty, treasures, a miraculous star, and best of all—camels!

in this season of signs and wonder, today marks one of the most legendary—the arrival of the Magi who followed a star from the East to pay homage to the “newborn king of the Jews.”

Legend tells us that it was Saint Francis of Assisi who “invented” the Christmas crèche, the now familiar Nativity scene with all the figures of angels, animals, shepherds, and the three Magi.

God longs to be revealed to us and to gather us as one. We speak our needs now in confidence, knowing that God will be present to us in all our difficulties and respond to all our needs.

A ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel. In changing the words of Micah’s prophecy from “one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:1) to “a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel,” Matthew draws on the same words God had said to David while Saul was still king: “You shall shepherd my people Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2).

The epiphanies of Christ: “Three mysteries mark this holy day: Today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation.” —An antiphon for Epiphany evening prayer