Many parishes will opt to celebrate Epiphany today with a Sunday congregation, hence this choice for Jan 1st. As MK does not have an Epiphany story any more than a Christmas one, we fall back on MT. If we choose to emphasise New Year in our local situation, let's not lose Epiphany; it is a Major Festival. The Naming & Circumcision of Our Lord may well need to be celebrated on a separate occasion.

Even if we hesitate to receive the story of the Magi as literal, historic truth, it still contains a world of theological truths to explore: searching & journeying; Gospel extension beyond Judaism right from the start ('Gentiles' aren't simply a benevolent afterthought on God's part!); generous giving to God; dealing with the vagaries & corruptness of rulers & governments.... More, it's a great story! Where does our own story meet up with this one that starts out in the margins, comes into the centre (which is itself paradoxically a margin at little Bethlehem) then goes back to the original margins but by a different route. If we always come & go via the same route, maybe we're missing something? Somebody?

Contrary to today's individualistic emphases, the Magi aren't following 'their' star. Not by any means. They're following God's star & only God's star (literally or figuratively) leads where God wants us to be.

A lesson from the Jewish people & the prophets God sends them & which is enhanced by this story is that earthly rulers are not normally on God's side. God is their rival for people's hearts & minds. Their motives are rarely God's motives. Christianity hasn't learnt that lesson yet. Don't we mostly still want to tap into where earthly power lies - then we all get more than our fingers burnt. Is it any accident that capitalism feeds a right wing approach to faith so both parties to this unholy alliance go on feeding off each other? Is it just co-incidental that fallen socialism has seen the re-growth & expansion of churches (largely Roman & Orthodox) at the ultra-conservative end of the spectrum to rival the religious right at the equally conservative protestant end of the scale where capitalism / globalism / corporate greed are ruling the roost? How many of our churches still organise themselves as if they (we!) were empires & their (our!) leaders Herods rather than servants? If we're to find the real God in today's world (not just the soft option child in a manger!) the Magi's story points us to rely on God rather than jockey for favour, power, advancement from Herods & their ilk, inside or outside the Body.

Having travelled a fair bit in recent years, I wonder whether the Magi story could still happen today? Or would the central characters be faced with so many security checks they'd be excused for giving up & turning around? Wouldn't the horses or camels they travel on be stuck in quarantine cages at each border? Their frankincense & myrrh create anxiety at personal & carry-on checks (not to mention sending the sniffer dogs into a frenzy)? Would the gold set all the alarmed 'gateways' a pinging or not? Could their travel agent, & their travel insurer be guaranteed not to fold?

Where I live, 'magic' of various kinds is appealing to lots of people as a gateway into a spiritual world. Often a substitute for the real thing; largely spurious, I suspect, but  nice & undemanding. User friendly. A common car bumper sticker is 'Magic Happens'. If you have any doubt of the pull of 'magic' think of the huge following of Harry Potter & the Lord of the Rings. 'Magic', a derivative of magi & the world view they represent doesn't seem to happen for many in traditional church approaches to spirituality. Rather than being afraid of stars, maybe this is an area we can profitably explore, & home-in on God's Star & the 'magic' world it can open up when taken in conjunction with the rest of the God story / our story this Epiphany? It sure puts the rest of the magic on offer on notice!