Welcome to Westminster Abbey on this Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord. My name is The Reverend Dr David Hoyle, and I am Dean of Westminster Abbey. Today, I’ll be reading the gospel, and reflecting on the God who is revealed to us on this day.

A reading from the book of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Here ends the reading.

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January 6th – it is the Feast of Epiphany and, if you were wondering, the Christmas decorations should be down. Christmas packed up in a box. I have done that - except for the cards that had the three kings on them. The kings will stay up until Candlemas.

They were not kings, of course. They followed a star, remember, and they were astrologers - Magi. Matthew reminds us that the story we tell is full of wonders, signs in the heavens. That only got these wise men so far, as they had to stop and ask the way. At this point prophecy kicks in and we are reminded that Micah said

O Bethlehem of Ephrathah…from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel

It is as if Matthew has hold of us and is urging us to accept that this moment was promised, foretold, in the stars and in the scriptures. ‘Here is God’s providence and God’s plan’ he says.

That is what this feast day celebrates. This is the moment when we stretch our eyes wide and see what the birth of Christ really means. It is Epiphany, which means ‘made manifest’, it is the moment of which to take note. Not just a baby in a manger, but the one foretold, the one who will be baptised as a voice speaks from heaven, the one who will perform a miracle at Cana, the one who will be acknowledged as the Christ.

Did I say that today we put Christmas back in its box? Not a bit of it. Epiphany summons us out under the stars. U. A Fanthorpe famously suggested that Epiphany ‘was the moment when Before turned into After’. I like to think that this is the moment when we see the stars and give ourselves up to wonder.

Thank you for joining me for this reflection. This is the final reflection of our Advent and Christmas series this year. To find out more about faith at the Abbey and how you can take part, wherever you are, through our streamed services and email newsletter, visit our website at www.westminster-abbey.org.