By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy

v1Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem v2and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”
…v5″In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote: v6’Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah;
for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’”
… v19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt v20and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead.” v21So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Israel.
v22But when Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was given more instructions in a dream, so he went to the province of Galilee v23and made his home in a town named Nazareth. And so what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.” (Read: Matthew 2.1-23)***
Most Christmas decors are now down and packed away to be brought out again when the ‘BER-MONTHS’ arrive this year. Christmas is over after the candles were extinguished in church last Sunday for most people. Contrary to the changed and prevailing festive mood of the new year around us, it is still Christmas. This Sunday is the last day in the Church Lectionary calendar for the season of Christmas. As we close this season, I believe it is best to include and ponder upon this part of Matthew’s narrative to complete the Christmas story. The events read in our gospel lesson this Sunday are not the favorite in our Christmas story. While we enjoy the scenes played about miraculous pregnancies and births, of angels and shepherds and wise men with their unique gifts to the child Jesus, we will miss the entire point of the incarnation if we fail to include the events in our story as told by Matthew. Tragic as it may be these events, they point to the core meaning of God’s coming to dwell with us as one like us. ‘He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ‘(John 1:10) ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (John1:14).
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God really became one of us by going through human experience even in a humble and despicable birth in a stable. Even as a baby, Jesus became a refugee to evade the murderous Herod who tried to eliminate him. He returned to Nazareth when all was safe and lived there like any other boy and grew up helping his father in his carpentry shop. He was called a Nazarene. He has earthly citizenship – fully human like us. To emphasize the importance of this notion is to repeat what I wrote last week. The incarnation which is the most wonderful truth of history has a deep and wide implication to our world. It tells us that God desires to communicate himself to us and, because of our negligible nature vis the divine, was only able to connect by speaking at our level and becoming one of us. He understands our nature and sufferings. Our sinfulness is so grievous that he came to die for them. He became fully involved in human history because of his great love for all His creation. This is the meaning of the Christmas season that we conclude this Sunday. This is aptly summed up in this benediction, “May God, who in the Word made flesh, joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven, give you his peace and favor.”
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Jesus, first and foremost, is God joining Himself to us in the flesh. He would walk in our shoes, share our kind of living, celebrate in our joys, weep in our tears, suffer in our sorrows and give thanks in our accomplishments. As a result, we are called to be his adopted children and heirs to God’s heavenly kingdom. Christmas at its deepest level means we are part of the family of God. This makes us a new creation. We are now called to accept Christ as revealed to us in our chaotic human family and become involved in his saving plan for the world.
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This Monday, a day after the Christmas season has ended, is the Feast of the Epiphany. The gospel stories of this season describe various events that manifest the divinity of Jesus, including the coming of the Magi, the Baptism of Our Lord, the wedding at Cana, the calling of the disciples, and other miracles and teachings of Jesus. The beginning of this season which is on the 6th of January is popularly known here in the Philippines as the feast of the Three Kings. It tells us about the long journey, arrival and visit of the Magi in all their splendor bearing their precious gifts to the infant Jesus. This story is relevant and holds true even today. It symbolizes our religious journey seeking God with a glimmer of faith to point the way forward. The search for the truth always involves leaving the comfort and security of previously held positions and views and facing the unknown. It requires courage, determination and hope as the journey will be long and the pathway lined with failure, doubt and confusion. Deep down in our lives there is an uneasiness and yearning after freedom and happiness which can only be fulfilled when we experience the presence of God. These we bear in mind as we embark to the unknown this new year of 2025.
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We are called to search and discover the presences of Christ in our lives like the Wise Men on that first Christmas. We must be open and receptive for us to understand that Christ is being born everyday in our lives. While God has come to us first, we can find him only if we search for him and discover him by setting out on a journey to met him. Christ is to be encountered in the most unusual and varied of places. He can be found in the smile of a child, in the painful expression of a person sick of cancer, to the bitter tears of a poor person and in the laughter of successful endeavors. We gaze in the eyes of Christ whenever we look into the eyes of another person. This Epiphany Season we are called to discern the manifestation of our Lord in the lives of others and in our environment. And having recognized him in time and space, we can make our humble but earnest gift which is our devotion to him expressed through our being mindful to the needs and wants of others especially those in the margins.
Let us pray.
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Epiphany Collect, BCP).**