EPIPHANY 2026
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 60.1-6
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Ephesians 3:1-12
GOSPEL: Matthew 2. 1 – 11
Observed on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany is the celebration of the manifestation of the divinity of Christ to all the world. The name “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word Epiphania, and means “to show, make known, or reveal.” The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361.
Epiphany is a glorious festival – we are celebrating the divine manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. We celebrate a God who comes to us – who reveals himself to us.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Saviour of the whole world as the non Jewish wise men are drawn to Bethlehem to come and behold the Son of God.
Epiphany, the journey and the visit of the wise men to see baby Jesus is a very special festival where all religious stereotypes are rewritten. Most parts of the Old Testament, while it constantly affirms that God loves all people but it speaks of the Jewish people alone as the ones to experience Gods revelation as the chosen people of God.
In the birth of Jesus we hear this wonderful story that the Messiah is for all people. The wise men from the east embark on a long journey through the deserts to come to Bethlehem following a star. They lose sight of the star and they think Herod may know and he should know. He doesn’t, the wise men then retrace the star and are led to the Child Jesus and they worship and adore him and pay homage to the child, the saviour of the world.
The birth of Jesus is good news not only for the shepherds in the fields but also the wise men. Jesus is not only relevant to those in Bethlehem but to the ends of the earth. To those near and to those far the news of the birth of Jesus is announced and it calls for a journey to go and reach him and to see him.
Speaking of journeys, Life itself is a journey and we are all on a journey. For some people they do not have a destination and they simply journey on following some star or the other. For some they journey on having fixed their destination. The destination could be a career, wealth, position, for some good health, for some its to see the children do well.
We are invited to see God, to reach God, to adore and find rest in him. God glory is all around us and we can see Gods glory in moments we seek him, his help in a journey of spiritality.
In the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God Emmanuel, God with us. Therefore we do not journey to God but we journey with God. Jesus is our constant companion in all the journeys that we travel each moment. Like on the journey of the disciples to Emmaus, Jesus is journeying with us.
He is also our final destination as well when his Glory in finally revealed. We journey on in life knowing that Jesus is the guiding star and even as we journey on, he who journeys with us also reveals his glory whenever we lose the way then find it, whenever we lose the strength to move on but eventually do, whenever we think that this is the end soon he opens a new door.
May the Glory of the Epiphany fill your heart and mind and help us to journey with Jesus the child of Bethlehem our saviour and Lord.