Bible Study for January 5/6, 2025 “Epiphany”
Opening Prayer:
Creator of all, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in study. Open our minds and hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, unite us in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be faithful to the gospel and to walk humbly with you. Grant us your peace as we grow in wisdom and understanding. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 2:1-12 God is not mentioned but is working in the wings. How do we discern God at work in our lives?
In the church year, Epiphany is associated with the visit of the wise men, to whom the Eastern wisdom and the bright and shining star had made known the identity and startling significance of the Baby born in Bethlehem. The fact that Herod commanded that all children under two be killed to remove any possible threat to his rule, suggests that Jesus could have been as old as two when the Magi arrived to pay homage. This earth-shattering, history-changing event took place during the reign of Herod the Great, whose marriage to Mariamne, a member of the royal Hasmonean family, gave him some legitimacy in Jewish eyes. He was a crafty, vicious ruler, and the slaughter of children fits his ruthless reputation and is recorded nowhere except in Matthew. When they had first reached the area, the wise men paid a courtesy call on Herod, and he pried out of them information on the child and the star using a deceptive claim of wanting to pay his respects. Although the Magi had first believed Herod, they were warned in a dream of his true intent, and they decided not to report back to him. Instead they headed home by a different route. This is one of six dream references in Matthew, which is a motif that suggests God was at work in the wings to carry out the divine plan and purpose.
Ephesians 3:1-12 What epiphanies of God have been especially powerful in your life?
Paul has been the recipient of a special vision into the mysteries of God’s plan of salvation for all. It was not previously understood that not only the Jews were to benefit from God’s grace but the Gentiles as well—that is, all peoples of the earth. This truth the Holy Spirit had revealed to Paul and other apostles, and he now made it plain to all. God bestowed on you Gentiles the same gifts, incorporating them into the same community of faith and promising them the same assurance of salvation provided to the Jews. It was Paul’s special charge to broadcast this message, even when he was persecuted for it and imprisoned (verses 1-6). Though Paul humbly considers himself in the lower ranks of God’s servants, he is nevertheless confident that God’s grace and power have called him to make known to the Gentiles that God loves them too and has rich blessings awaiting them if they believe the good news. This has been God’s plan from the beginning, but only now has the time become ripe for this mystery to be fully revealed. Christ has come, and Epiphany is happening now…and the church has the task of sharing the richness of God’s wisdom, not only with the common people but also with the people of power in high places. The Christ who was present with God from creation has now, through his incarnation and manifestation on earth, made possible a direct, personal relationship with God to all who come to God in faith. The Epiphany has a purpose— not to awe or impress, but to invite us into God’s loving presence (verses 7-12).
No comments:
Post a Comment