NOTES: 1] This passage is chosen as many parishes will opt to keep Epiphany on a Sunday. Epiphany means a revealing. 2] Herod the 'Great' (the 'Utter Pits', really!) was on a par with evil rulers of our day. He ruled 37-4 'BC', so Jesus must have been born no later than 4BC!!! 3] The Magi can be traced back to the ancient wisdom of today's Iran / Iraq. 4] There is no scientific explanation for the star. It remains beyond our capacity & thirst for explanation.

WARMING UP: What might today's equivalents of the Magi's gifts be?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything this week?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

1-2        How much are events shaped by the Herods of this world? Does Shakespeare's, 'The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones..' (Julius Caesar, Act.3 Sc.2) still hold good? Or is it too pessimistic, cynical even? Is the reverse just as true? Can we think of an example of God bringing some good out of someone's evil? Why does today's world set so much store on astrology? Why take such predictions seriously when astronomy gives a scientific view of why 'things in the sky' move as they do? Can a swirl of gases in space really affect what happens in people's lives? What if we're really just following our own star?

3-9a     Given its Jewish background, how much does the story contribute to our personal belief in Jesus as Messiah? Is its real value God's willingness to reveal himself (in the person of Jesus) to the whole world community? Is there still a timely warning here to people of God not to 'get into bed' too readily with rulers & governments? Is there at least a hint here that we all need to live in harmony with those of other persuasions?

9b-12  Are we ever conscious of the kind of (dramatic) guidance God gives the Magi here? What would it take for us to be prepared to embark on any journey into the unknown for God? Have we ever found some great joy after making such a journey, literally or figuratively? What about those who always seem to be seeking, seeking, but never finding?
           How do we know when we've seen God in a person? Is that a kind of experience we're more likely to have in church circles, or in less 'religious' places? How much does the generous giving of the Magi call into question our own generosity to God? Are we ever tempted to hold back what we might have given to God / some person / some cause because we can't bring ourself to believe they're worth it? What lies at the heart of the Magi's willingness to travel, believe, give? Can we match their kind of response to God?
             Do dreams ever play any role in making decisions in our lives? Do we ever experience 'angelic' dreams these days? How do we know whether a dream is 'of God', from our own sub-conscious, or, maybe, indigestion?
             If the days of messages in dreams, by angels, etc. are past, what would God need to do to get through to us that we need to 'go home a different way'..i.e. change our direction in life?