It was my privilege to visit the Cathedral in Bonn, Germany a few years back.  I was in Germany visiting friends who were studying in country and I remembered that the remains of the Three Wise Men (The Three Kings) were buried behind the High Altar of the Cathedral.  So, I took the tour of this beautiful church and had the great joy of seeing what are believed to be the heads of the Three Kings.  It is good to note that these astrologers were neither Jewish nor Christian.  They were believers in God, but also in the prophecies regarding the coming of God’s anointed One—the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  They, too, had the joy of seeing the Christ Child with their own eyes.  The Star of the East led them to where the Child lay.  The fullness of God’s divine plan was revealed to them:  An Epiphany or the opening of one’s heart to God’s great love expressed in the Babe in a manger.

 Today, we are given an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the love of God by opening our eyes and hearts, our minds and souls to the promises of God in Jesus Christ.  To make our hearts living mangers, to open our eyes to the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to enliven our souls in the vision of God become man, this is our hope and faith.

 Let this Epiphany Sunday be a time like that of the Three Wise Men.  A time in which we express in a fresh new way our joy in having the privilege of relationship with the God who loved us first.  A privilege that can’t help to boldly say to our own souls and those whom we meet:  God loves me and I can’t wait to return that love!