06/01/2026
As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Ever more be led to thee.
(William Dix)
The Magi had travelled so far across unfamiliar landscapes, through long stretches of silence, carrying questions they couldn’t yet answer and following a star whose meaning they only partly understood.
They kept going anyway, step after step, trusting that the light before them was worth pursuing, even when the path was uncertain.
And when they finally arrived, they didn’t find a palace or a throne or anything that matched the grandeur of their expectations. Instead, they found a child - a child held by his mother, a child who looked as ordinary as any other, and yet was somehow the very presence of God in the world.
In that moment, they didn’t offer speeches or explanations or declarations of what they had learned. They simply bowed down and worshipped.
“They bowed down and worshipped Him.” (Matthew 2:11)
Epiphany reminds us that the journey of faith is not just about reaching a destination; it’s about recognising Christ when we arrive - especially when he appears in places that surprise us, or in forms that don’t match what we imagined.
It invites us to lay down whatever we’ve carried - our gifts, our pride, our assumptions, our carefully‑made plans and to bow in the presence of the One who has been guiding us all along.
Today, as we remember the magi, let’s remember not their wisdom or their wealth or even their perseverance, but their willingness to recognise Christ when they saw him and to respond with worship that was simple, honest, and wholehearted.
May we do the same.
