God's Mystery Has Been Made Known

God refuses to look away.

Texts for 1.4.2026

Isaiah 60:1-6 Nations come to the light

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 All kings shall bow down before him. (Ps. 72:11)

Ephesians 3:1-12 The gospel’s promise extends to all

Matthew 2:1-12 Revelation of Christ to the nations of the earth

Epiphany blessings to you.

Epiphany is the season when the Church celebrates that God’s saving presence becomes visible in the world,

not just to a few,

not just to one nation,

but to all peoples.

That's how we understand the meaning of Epiphany,

“to reveal,” “to make known,” or “to shine forth.”

So when we greet one another with “Epiphany blessings to you,”

we are saying:

“May what God reveals be made known to you.

May God’s presence take shape in your life.

May God’s love be something you can see, feel, trust, and share.”

And that revelation of God’s saving presence doesn’t wait for perfect conditions.

It meets us right in the middle of the lives we know,

in fear,

in uncertainty,

in longing,

in hope.

Which brings us to today’s Gospel:

God’s Mystery Has Made Known Through the Magi.

And that is Good News.

But for King Herod, Epiphany brings something very different: horror, fear, and threat. And Matthew tells us that all Jerusalem was troubled with him.

I imagine many in our time might resonate with “all Jerusalem” for different reasons:

• Some feared choosing between a violent king and a newborn promise.

• Some kept their heads down, hoping life would stay manageable.

• Some held tightly to the majority, trusting power to protect their status.

And yet, right in the middle of all that, the God's saving presence still shines forth. Epiphany reveals what is already there:

fear, uncertainty, self‑protection, longing, hope.

For God refuses to look away.

So, how do all today’s scriptures fit together?

Across Isaiah, the psalm, Ephesians, and Matthew, we hear one shared message:

God’s mystery, God’s saving presence, is being made known to all peoples and in all nations who walk through hard seasons.

And this revelation always comes in the middle of struggle:

• Isaiah speaks to people returning from exile, rebuilding their lives from ruins.

• The psalmist longs for a just king in a world where kings often failed the poor.

• Paul writes from prison to a divided church wrestling with insiders and outsiders.

• Matthew’s Gospel unfolds under the shadow of Herod’s fear and Rome’s occupation.

Epiphany does not always arrive in peaceful times.

It arrives in struggles that echo our own,

in a world weary from division, anxiety, violence, and uncertainty about the future,

a world that hardens hearts and turns people toward bitterness.

And into all of that, God refuses to look away.

For King Herod, God’s saving presence insults who he is.

But for the magi, Epiphany is pure Good News.

They saw something the world could not see:

God’s Mystery revealed in small, vulnerable, and reachable ways.

And after meeting Jesus, they went home by another road,

because they trusted what God had revealed to them.

For the psalmist, Epiphany is Good News because God’s anointed king brings justice and peace:

• a king who defends the poor

• a king who rescues the oppressed

• a king before whom all nations bow not out of fear, but out of hope

This is Good News for anyone who has ever longed for leaders who heal rather than harm.

And we know what Herod did next.

If we keep reading Matthew 2, we see a ruler so threatened by a child

that he unleashes violence on the innocent.

The contrast could not be sharper.

How about for Paul and the early church?

For Paul, writing to the Ephesians, Epiphany is Good News because

God’s saving presence extends to the Gentiles

those once considered outsiders.

For God refuses to look away.

Paul is very clear about his mission. His call is to make known:

• the wisdom of God

• the eternal purpose of the Church

• the Mystery now revealed in Christ

And what is that mystery?

All are included.

All are welcomed.

All are heirs of the same promise.

For God refuses to look away.

This is Good News for anyone who has ever felt left out, overlooked, or unseen.

But we know that Epiphany doesn’t erase God’s Mystery.

To many, God’s Mystery remains unheard, unknown, unfelt.

So how does the Church make God’s Mystery known?

Here, in our own community,

the body of Christ has made God’s Mystery known through:

• the people we serve

• the ministries we share

• the relationships we nurture

• the prayers we say for one another

• the welcome we extend to strangers and friends alike

Every act of mercy,

every word of encouragement,

every shared fellowship,

every moment of compassion,

every offered hospitality,

these are Epiphany moments.

These are the ways God’s Mystery becomes visible.

Because the Mystery is not hidden.

It is revealed in the ordinary.

It is made known in community.

It is alive in you, in us, in the Church.

What will you carry with you today?

I invite you to take one thing with you, a piece of Good News to hold in your heart:

• Blessed are those we serve.

• Blessed are those we minister alongside.

• Blessed are those we share Christ’s peace with.

• Blessed are those who have not yet heard, but will…

  who have not seen, but will…

  who have not known, but will…

  who have not spoken of the Mystery, but will.

God’s Mystery is still being made known

through you, through us, through the Church.

For God refuses to look away.

Let Us Pray

May the God who reveals Mystery in small, vulnerable, and reachable ways

steady our hearts, guide our steps,

and make Christ’s saving presence known in every place we go.

May the Good News planted in us

take root, grow deep, and flourish.

May we become signs of Epiphany

witnesses to God’s Mystery still being made known,

witnesses of God’s love in a weary world,

for all who long for healing and wholeness,

for all who yearn for a fresh beginning.

And as you, O God, refuse to look away,

so do we.

Amen.