These words are also an example of an Epiphany, a word meaning appearance or manifestation from the Greek words meaning "to shine upon". We ascribe the label "Epiphany" on the feast on which we remember the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus but there are actually many "epiphanies" in the Gospels, occasions in which it is being made manifest that Jesus is the Son of God. The Baptism of the Lord, the many miracles of Jesus, the events occurring around the death of Jesus and his resurrection and ascension are all epiphanies.

But what does John mean when he describes Jesus as the "Lamb of God"? Today, we see lambs as cute barnyard animals that we like to see in petting zoos. In Jesus’ agrarian/pastoral society, lambs represented food and shelter and sacrifice; their wool being used for clothing, blankets and tents and their flesh as food. Even their skins were used as parchment and for carrying water or wine. Lambs represented the wealth of a family or community and as such, were proper sacrificial offerings to God. The sacrificial Lamb of God was especially important during the time of Passover when thousands would be sacrificed at the Temple of Jerusalem for the seder meal, the blood sprinkled on the altar and smeared on the lintel of the door as a sign of the Covenant of the Jewish people with God. Jesus is singled out as the Lamb of God whose sacrifice will be a sign of the New Covenant for all who believe in his. In this New Covenant, we are identified as children of God, washed and signed in his blood and for whom he sacrificed himself on the cross. Like John the Baptist, Andrew and Peter, we point to Jesus as Messiah by the way in which we live our lives.

Fascination with the stars has been a recreation of human beings from the time they were first able to raise their heads and see the bright points that spark the night sky. Paleontologists suggest from cave paintings that humans have tried to decipher what was happening on earth by following the movement of heavenly bodies for 25,000 years. Astrology became a powerful instrument by which “wise men” controlled kings and empires as early as 4,000 years ago. Even today, the belief that the relationships of planets and stars to each other is believed by many to affect the lives of individuals born under given signs. 

When ancient people looked at the night sky, free from the light pollution of our modern cities, they did not see stars, planets and galaxies as we understand them. Ancients saw heroes and monsters, bears and brave hunters, dragons, scorpions, animals and humans walking, chasing, flying across the sky. They noticed that planets were different from stars and believed this to be because they were influencing the world of men and women. But in ancient times, unlike today where people think they can find a personal message in a horoscope, it was believed that the “stars” only had influence over or were influenced by the actions of the king. And that is where our story of the Epiphany begins. 

Whatever the magi saw in the heavens, they knew that it could only portend the birth of a king, and not just any king but one whose reign would affect them, even in a distant land. How surprised they must have been to enter the simple dwelling where Mary and Joseph cared for their newborn baby; no royal court, no riches or armies. And yet, to this child they opened their treasures.

As we celebrate the Epiphany, we can reflect on how and where we might find God’s active presence in our own lives; the surprising events and experiences that remind us that God is real and that he is with us. How do we respond to that presence in our relationships, our work, and our lives?  Jesus makes himself known so that we might open ourselves up to him.

Where is God in our lives?