Epiphany

Epiphany!

Today is the day we celebrate the arrival of the wise men before Jesus, the king.

This year I had the privilege of chatting with an astrophysicist. It was awesome.
We talked through some astronomical terms in lay terms 😉 Like parallax shift, retrograde motion, stationary stars, the rising of the stars, etc. There is a possibility that the star may just be the appearance of the planet Jupiter. (Even as I study and read on this topic, I am holding on to the fact that God could just as well have fashioned a miraculous star to direct the men to Jesus.)

I was on a search for what the wise men from the East were really studying. And how they were studying their observations. It is clear that they combined astrology and astronomy. It is speculated that the wise men were Zorastrians. They held high regard for light and fire.
In Zoroastrian scriptures, Ahura Mazda is described as “full of luster, full of glory.” Hence, his luminous creations—fire, sun, stars, and light—are regarded as visible tokens of the divine and of the inner light. (https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/42-publications/quest-m%20agazine/1231-zoroastrianism-history-beliefs-and-practices)

Several Classical Greek and Roman authors describe the Persian religion from their frame of reference. They call Ahura Mazda (deity) ‘Zeus’ or ‘Jupiter’ and call the Yazata-angels ‘gods’ (that is how the English translations read). (http://zoroastrianheritage.blogspot.ca/2013/03/cyrus-great-his-religion-inspiration.html). Between their scientific discovery of the star and their interpretation of the birth of a king, the wise men pursued the star. They persevered in their faith. They kept going. They didn’t shy away from asking Herod for more information. God honored that. ‘Seek, and you will find.’

I pray that you and I will continue in our journey of life seeking the Truth.
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13