Lord, every nation on earth
Will adore you

I wonder if the wise men were surprised by what they found at the end of their journey. They had left their homes and safety and comfort, spending months following the star. And for what? To finally meet a mighty king living in a magnificent palace? Not even close. Instead, they found a child lying helpless in his mother’s arms, living in the humblest of dwellings. Yet somehow the magi were able to see beneath the child’s poverty and recognize the one whom they had sought.

The feast of the Epiphany challenges us to be seekers as the wise men were seekers, to search for God and recognize God’s presence wherever and whenever God chooses to reveal himself. When we discover God is present to us, it becomes wonderful! But we need to keep looking, always and everywhere, for other ways, too. Today we journey forth into the New Year with the Magi as our guides, always seeking and searching for God’s presence in the unexpected.