Sunday 5 January

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (S)

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Come, let us adore

Matthew introduces the magi (seers of a pagan religion) as representatives of a racial and religious diversity from the East, who seek the new-born king of the Jews. The gospel writer tells of these foreigners kneeling in homage when they see the child with his mother, now staying in a house. Many Gentiles joined Matthew’s mostly Jewish community which spoke both Aramaic and Greek. New Zealand has diversified richly in cultures and faiths in recent decades. Jesus comes as Saviour of all. As Paul stresses “pagans now share the same inheritance; they are parts of the same body…”