Epiphany stands for ‘manifestation’ or ‘appearance’ and is celebrated on January 6. As Campus Edge’s Monday night study fell on Epiphany this year, we celebrated it together. This included blessing the house together, which was a liturgical experience few of us had experienced (as it’s outside of our church traditions).

We also spent some time remembering the story of the three magi in Matthew 2, as well as connecting it with Isaiah 60-61. One of the most fascinating aspects of both of those passages is their focus on foreigners – and how it is that these ‘outsiders’ see and respond to God in a way that the insiders (the people of God) did not. As Kierkegaard notes,

“The three kings had only a rumor to go by. But it moved them to make that long journey. The scribes were much better informed. They sat and studied the Scriptures like so many scholars, but it did not make them move.”

quoted by Derek Schuurman in his article, The Heart of Christmas.

Perhaps one way that we can see anew during this season of Epiphany is to be open to listening to and learning from unexpected people and places.