What’s a puffin eat?
A young child pondered the word she heard on the day we celebrate the wise men’s arrival to see the baby Jesus. Of course, we talked about puffins and what they eat, then addressed pronunciation. In the South, our pronunciations are often a little sloppy. My simple explanation: a new discovery or a surprising idea, something we didn’t know before.
I remember an article in the Weekly Reader about a pilot who saw the shape of a boat in the ice on Mount Ararat in Turkey. I was seven and thrilled when I realized Noah’s Ark was real, not just a fun story in the Bible. This epiphany changed the way a little girl viewed the Bible.
In the case of Jesus, His birth was an epiphany because the circumstances contrasted with the entrance imagined for centuries by Hebrews. The song “How Should a King Come?” by Jimmy and Carol Owens illustrates this beautifully.
But the Messiah didn’t come as expected. He came through an otherwise ordinary girl in a grungy dwelling for farm animals. Surprise!
The second epiphany was the wise men from the East. They studied the stars and knew Daniel’s prophecies. They saw the amazing star over Bethlehem and visited Jesus. This was a clear sign that Christ was available to Gentiles. God sent His Son through the Hebrew people for all people. Who knows if anyone realized this truth then? Later, Jesus made sure they knew.
Jesus still brings epiphany. Anyone who reads or hears the gospel and is moved to understand why Jesus came has an epiphany, a discovery never dreamed of. The epiphanies continue as we study the Word and live out God’s teachings. Epiphany. He came for you too.
Do you want epiphanies in your life? Ask. God sends His Word to reveal them.
Melody Morrison was born a musician and poet, playing piano by ear at four and writing her first poems and songs at six. Growing up as the preacher’s daughter in a family of six, life centered around family and church activities. After too much education, she spent many years teaching music, theatre, and special education while acting, singing in and directing church choirs, and writing articles, Bible studies, curriculum, stories, scripts, and musicals. The mother of four grown children who married and were fruitful and multiplied to produce seven grandchildren, she enjoys spending time being Gramma and getting to know these remarkable individuals. She and her husband travel and make beautiful music together. Melody’s greatest passion is encouraging people of every age and background to recognize and celebrate their own value as treasures of the Creator of the universe. She prays her efforts by the grace of God will support this endeavor.