Bishop Philip Huggins writes of the incarnation of Jesus, and the journey of the Magi as scribed by the poet T.S. Eliot. In his reflection, Bishop Huggins highlights whom do we celebrate Epiphany for: a child born 2000+ years ago, or the children of this day, this age? How do we love a new-born babe? Reflections from the First Nations theologian Stan Grant are also included.
Anticipating Epiphany and A New Year in Which to Offer Light and Love
“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1.
Of the many delights of Christmas Services, one was the appearance of a young couple with their baby at our Children’s Service.
I know a little of their difficulties and how completely wonderful it is that they now have this child.
The picture of them together and Christmas books from family make their way into this reflection for the Feast of Epiphany and our 2025.
One book was of the favourite poems of singer Paul Kelly.
This includes the Epiphany story in T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” .
The poem imagines one of the Magi giving an account of their journey, following that star to Bethlehem!
“When the Magi saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy”. Matthew 2:10
It’s a lovely experience to be “overwhelmed with joy!”
They enter, “they saw the child with Mary, his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage”.Matthew 2:10
This is beautiful to imagine, yes?
We can likewise imagine how deeply affected they would have been, forever after, by this moment.
T.S. Eliot imagines them then returning to their kingdoms and “to alien people clutching their gods…no longer at ease in the old dispensation.”
Their illumination was fulfilling but also, we imagine, quite unsettling.
On their journey towards illumination and deeper communion, the poet considers their doubts, as doubts there must have been,as there are for all of us on our faith journey.
Is this really wise? Where will we end up?
(A famous explorer is remembered saying that he never knew where he was going; was never too sure where he arrived … Just hoped someone would give him a drink!)
T.S. Eliot imagines what faced the Magi …
“the camel men cursing and grumbling …
the night fires going out and the lack of shelters
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices.”
So that:
“At the end we preferred to travel all night,
sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears saying
That this was all folly.”
All folly! Perhaps we have all had such times.
We feel we are following our own star. But, amidst the difficulties and demands of this, there are also those interior and exterior voices saying we are kidding ourselves; acting foolishly, even selfishly and that it’s all folly!
But the Magi were faithful and kept following the star they had seen appear.
Because of the wondrous beauty of the night sky we had dinner under the stars many times, camping this year in the Kimberley.
From nothing, it seems, God creates this universe of beauty and wonder. Every opportunity to better appreciate this gift of life is one worth taking!
We were seeing light, there in the Kimberley night silence which left its source well before Copernicus was born … by some millions of light years!
Light; delight; enlightenment ...
Here are three thoughts as we celebrate Epiphany and anticipate a New Year, coming into 2025:
Firstly, we see the need for unifying leaders, not leaders who are intentionally or ineptly divisive.
The story of the Magi in Matthew 2 shows that Herod was a cruel and narcissistic leader. One who was haunted, it seems, by his own anxieties. Such leaders cause much unnecessary suffering, as Herod did to innocent children. (Mt 2:13-18)
We need leaders with whom the innocent feel safe and can flourish.
As loving parents, godparents, grandparents, uncles and aunties, friends, we know we become almost as vulnerable as the children of our love. Everything centres around the well- being of our little ones.
As Gandhi is remembered saying, “all policy should be determined by looking at the world through the eyes of little children.”
Looking at what we now see in Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, and so many other places, are we not urged afresh to insist that Gandhi’s insight guide us and all leaders?
Imagine what a difference it would make to our energy for peacebuilding; the pace at which we seek zero-carbon emissions; the prioritising of disarmament for development; the protection of our biodiversity; the transfiguring of the disfigured … the cultivation of a renewed culture of dialogue so that differences are resolved without resort to war.
Relatedly, another wonderful Christmas gift is Stan Grant’s murriyang song of time [Bundyi, Sydney 2024].
Amidst the terrible repeat cycle of violence and its condemnation and with leaders whose ‘strategic purposes’ lead to the death of innocents who are other people’s children, Stan writes beautifully of a better way …
“to bathe the wounds of history in love.” [p.125]
He says “with God’s guidance I wrote this book …”
Secondly, the Journey of the Magi has the classic ingredients of the Faith Journey.
There is a call which compels a response.
The call is into a life-giving adventure, as the star is followed.
The adventure has its arduous times. Perhaps, as the poet says elsewhere, “costing not less than everything”
But all the struggles, the risks and doubts are worth it when, finally, the treasure is found.
That is, when we find where our star has been leading and are overwhelmed with joy.
And, just as the Magi did not try to do it all on their own, we know the need to give each other help and support.
Each child has their star to follow; their adventure to take; their unique contribution to make. We adults give our loving support as they journey along.
We give thanks for those who have been like stars to us, brightening our lives.
We give thanks for our own epiphany moments … “In our quietest moments, when we are at our most vulnerable, when we feel sadness, joy, wonder and gratitude, those times when we smile for no reason but to smile then we are closest to God.” Stan Grant p.248
We pray that, by God’s grace and our best efforts, we can be like bright stars for our little ones.
Then, finally, there is the Bethlehem baby – the Incarnate God. The One who was before all things and in whom all things hold together.
Jesus’ defenceless presence in that Manger is of a piece with Resurrection faith in our God of love.
This is the One whom St Anselm would later describe as “a being than which no greater can be conceived”.
We comprehend this a little better in moments when the love of God interplays with the love of parents, godparents, grandparents, us all!
Before such an Epiphany, we are overwhelmed with joy and adoration.
When the Magi saw baby Jesus they were filled with adoration!
Perhaps the holy child smiled in that radiant light.
As we may smile now, ennobled by all this recollecting on the sweet Feast of Epiphany.
There is much to be grateful for. There is much change needed for the sake of the vulnerable. We begin again in 2025, seeking to only make choices that are light-filled and give delight.
May the gift Stan Grant describes in the opening of his book and which he is himself, keep us focused:
“Babies smile and trust before they learn to hate. We cannot survive without each other.
“We were not made for chaos. We were not made for war. We were not made for greed.
“God is love. God is love. God is love.”
As John 1 conveys about the Incarnation and Epiphany: “The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” is here now as we make our New Year resolutions.
Bishop Philip Huggins.
Link to the Full Size image, Adoration of the Magi
