Epiphany

Matthew 2:10 “When they saw the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy”.

Epiphany is the time of discovery. We celebrate this end of the nativity season with the stories of the Maji, of Simeon and of Anna. All of these people were promised a glimpse of the kingdom in the sight of Jesus the Christ.

When the Maji came to the house of Joseph and Mary, they were overwhelmed with Joy, here they had traveled so long and almost always at night to visit this new born king of the Jews. They saw in their own writings and prophecies the salvation that this little child would bring. For them, this was the pinnacle of their lives, they had given so much for this journey, and now they were rewarded with the gift of God’s son.

Can you imagine being overwhelmed with joy by coming to the house of the Lord? When was the last time you walked into a house of worship in expectation of meeting God? When was the last time you knew the true joy of being in the presence of God with you fellow worshipers?

In the year to come, I pray that our churches will become places of overwhelming joy. I pray that we can look forward to being in the presence of God when we are together in worship. I hope that we become a people that will put Christ first and lets the church be the focal point of the Christ first attitude.

In church, there can be overwhelming joy, but for that to happen, you need to know God. Let this be the year that God fills you with joy and kingdom purpose.

Amen