"Epiphany"

For those of you keeping track, today is Epiphany. The word "epiphany" comes from a Greek word meaning "appearance" or "manifestation". It is that time in the church's calendar when it pauses to celebrate God's revelation in human form and, in particular, God's manifestation to the nations as seen in the coming of the three kings to pay homage to the Christ child. As I was reflecting on Matthew 2:1-12 (the only passage that talks about the kings or magi) I was struck by the action of the kings when they saw Jesus. In verse 11 it says, that when they saw the child with his mother, "they knelt down
and paid him homage." This is the only real response to the gift of Christ -- Emmanuel-- "God with us". Mark Galli cites an intersting tradition from the fourth century that says that the devil has no knees. And because he has no knees he can't kneel or adore or pray. Not sure whether or not the devil
has no knees, but I agree that being unwilling to bend the knee at the name of Jesus is not only a poor response to the magnificent gift of Christmas, but may really be the essence of evil. It is a refusal to adore, to wonder, to experience the joy of "God with us", of God entering into the mess and potential of the world and my life. So I hope that today, on Epiphany, you"ll stop and look at your response to Christ. Can you kneel? Can you adore? Can you rejoice in the gift that can change the world and your life?