• THE EPIPHANY – may be celebrated on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January
• 10 William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645
• 11 Mary Slessor, Missionary in West Africa, 1915
• 12 Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167
• 12 Benedict Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, Scholar, 689  also known as Biscop Baducing, was an Anglo-Saxon abbot and founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory (where he also founded the famous library) and was considered a saint after his death.
• 13 Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith, 367  was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" (Latin: Malleus Arianorum) and the "Athanasius of the West."


OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 60: 1 - 6   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Isai 60:1 (NRSV) Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Mid'ian and E'phah;
all those from She'ba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.


PSALM 72: 1 - 7, 10 - 14   (RCL)
Psalm 72: 1 - 2, 7 - 8, 10 - 13   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 72: (1 - 9) 10 - 15   (C of E)

Psal 72:1 (NRSV) Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king's son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tar'shish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of She'ba and Se'ba
bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold of She'ba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.


72   Deus, judicium   (ECUSA BCP)

1  Give the King your justice, O God, *
 and your righteousness to the King's son;

2  That he may rule your people righteously *
 and the poor with justice.

3  That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
 and the little hills bring righteousness.

4  He shall defend the needy among the people; *
 he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5  He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
 from one generation to another.

6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
 like showers that water the earth.

7  In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
 there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall
be no more.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
 and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11  All kings shall bow down before him, *
 and all the nations do him service.

12  For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
 and the oppressed who has no helper.

13  He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
 he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14  He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
 and dear shall their blood be in his sight.


NEW TESTAMENT:  Ephesians 3: 1 - 12   (RCL)
                                     Ephesians 3: 2 - 3a, 5 - 6   (Roman Catholic)

Ephe 3:1 (NRSV) This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. 

Paul’s advocacy of Gentiles as full and equal members of the church has led to his imprisonment. In this passage, the author recounts his mission to the Gentiles. He assumes that his readers have heard of how he became a Christian, how God appeared to him (“revelation”, v. 3) as he travelled to Damascus to persecute Christians (Acts 9:1--22). The “few words” about the “mystery” are those in 1:8b-10: Jews and Gentiles are both called to join in Christ’s saving activity, as part of God’s plan, to be completed when God sees fit. Paul’s readers need to determine the truth of this revelation for themselves (v. 4). The Old Testament (“in former generations”, v. 5) mentions the salvation of other nations, but this was not understood; now, from “apostles and prophets” through the Holy Spirit, we do understand (v. 5). The sense of v. 6 is that the Gentiles have become co--heirs, co--members and co--partners: in Greek each word begins with syn (as in synchronous .)
Paul, the “very least of all the saints” (v. 8, for he persecuted Christians), has, in the paradoxical way of Christianity, become the apostle to the Gentiles, to bring us the news of the inexhaustible “riches” of Christ, and to have all understand that, in God’s plan established in the beginning, Gentiles are to form an integral part of the new Israel. It is through the church, the beneficiary of God’s gifts, that God’s saving ways (“wisdom”, v. 10) are to be made known to evil heavenly beings (“rulers and authorities”) who were thought before Christ’s death, to control humanity. This role of the church is part of God’s purpose, carried out in Christ. Faith in Christ gives us the ability to come into God’s presence boldly.

After v. 1, Paul digresses (v. 2-12). He continues with his intended thinking in v. 14. This passage depends on Colossians 1:23-29. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “for surely you have already heard”: Literally if indeed you have heard, but in the sense that they have surely already heard. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “the mystery was made known to me”: See also 1QpHab (*Qumran Habakkuk Pesher) 7:4-5; 1QH (Hymns) 9:21 (Vermes: 1:21). [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “as I wrote above ...”: i.e. in reference to the mystery of Christ mentioned in 1:9 and 2:13-17; however, some scholars see this as a reference to all the letters of Paul, so to them Ephesians was written by Paul. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “understanding”: As stated in v. 6. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “holy apostles”: Colossians 1:26 says “the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints”. The author wishes to recall the solid foundation on which the church is built (see 2:20), and therefore underscores the role of apostles and prophets. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “the very least”: In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul writes “I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God”. [ CAB]
Verse 9: “God who created”: At creation, God established his providential control of the cosmos, and only in the present era are his designs becoming known. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “rulers and authorities”: See also 6:12 (“For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”). God’s wisdom put an end to their control (see 1QS (*Qumran Rule of the Community) 4:18-23) through subjugation of all things to Christ.
Verse 1: “King Herod”: The events told here fit his character, as known from other sources. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “wise men”: In later Christian tradition, they were called kings under the influence of Psalm 72:10 (which identifies the kingdoms of three kings), Isaiah 49:7 and 60:10. The number of kings settled at three, due to the three gifts. Eventually the three were named Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior – but only in the western Church. Caspar became black. [ NJBC] Isaiah 49:7 says “Thus says the LORD ... to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, ‘Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’”.
Verse 2: In Jeremiah 23:5, God says through the prophet: “The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land”.
Verse 2: “star”: The star that leads to Christ is probably a midrashic element derived from Numbers 22-24 (the Balaam narrative), especially 24:17 (“... a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel ...”). The star there is identified with the Messiah in Targum Ongelos and Targum Yerusalmi I. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: In John 7:42, some ask Jesus “‘Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: In quoting Micah 5:2, Matthew (or the wise men) change(s) “clans” to “rulers”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “Bethlehem”: It is the town of David’s ancestor, Ruth (see Ruth 1:1-4), and of David’s immediate family (see 1 Samuel 16; 17:12). [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “gold, frankincense, and myrrh”: In later tradition, gold came to signify the kingship of Christ, incense his deity, and myrrh his redemptive suffering – or virtue, prayer and suffering. The list of gifts may be influenced by Isaiah 60:6 (“... bring gold and frankincense ...”), 11, 13. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “frankincense, and myrrh”: Aromatic resin gums found in tropical countries of the East. [ NOAB]
© 1996-2019 Chris Haslam




GOSPEL:  Matthew 2: 1 - 12   (all)

Matt 2:1 (NRSV) In the time of King Her'od, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3 When King Her'od heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
7 Then Her'od secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Her'od, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew, in writing “In the time of King Herod”, sets a late date for the birth of Jesus: Herod the Great, puppet king of Judah, died in 4 BC. “Wise men” (Latin: magi) were members of a Persian caste of astrologers and interpreters of dreams. (Astrology was widely accepted then.) A star was associated with each person; the way the star rose told the wise men that a king had been born. If the story of the star is intended to be historically significant, the star may have been a supernova or a comet, or a conjunction of planets. Numbers 24:17-24 prophesies that “... a star shall come out of Jacob, a sceptre shall rise out of Israel”, and that this ruler will conquer surrounding nations.
Herod’s fears are aroused because his dynasty may be ended. He consults the religious experts to find out where the magi should look for the Messiah. They answer with Scripture: they loosely blend Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2. (Such license was common at the time.) At David’s anointing as king, the elders quote God as saying “he shall be shepherd of my people Israel”. The maximum age of the children to be killed per Herod’s edict (v. 16) tells us the “exact time” (v. 7) that he learnt from the wise men. V. 8 is classical political duplicity. The star guides them to Bethlehem, where they are “overwhelmed with joy” (v. 10). The gifts are extremely generous; “gold” (v. 11) and “frankincense” are mentioned in v. 6 of today’s first reading.
We read that Gentile wise men visited Jesus. A later church tradition called the wise men kings, based on v. 10 of today’s psalm, and still later the Church said that there were three of them. The Western church gave them names.
© 1996-2019 Chris Haslam