Epiphanies, Part #1
The story in Matthew 2:1-12 has wise men follow a moving star. From the East they go to Jerusalem asking for the King of the Jews. Do they know that King Herod calls himself King of the Jews? Awkward! No, they are looking for a baby. Herod consults with his advisors and then tells the men the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, so the men go there. The star stops over the location of the child. Overwhelmed with joy, they enter the house, greet the mother, and kneel before the baby. They pull gifts from their treasure chests: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That night they dream. They are warned not to return to the volatile Herod, so they go home on another road (NRSV).
For western Christians January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany; it is marked on January 19 by the eastern church. Three Kings’ Day commemorates the appearance of the Christ to the Magi. In spiritual terms epiphany suggests a divine appearance. You and I may experience our own divine manifestations. They may come from dreaming and imagine accomplishments.
I find the stories of the Magi fascinating. They are sometimes described as Zoroastrian priests (from Chaldea, India, or Persia), astrologers, or mortals with supernatural powers. In the biblical tale, the wise men are guided through a strange drama by a great light and intuition. On a European trip, I walked around the gilded sarcophagus of the Three Kings in Cologne, Germany. Tradition holds that the relics of the Magi were first housed at Constantinople. Emperor Constantine trusted them to the bishop of Milan who took them to Italy in an oxcart. Eight centuries later in, the Holy Roman Emperor took the relics from Milan and gave them to the Archbishop of Cologne. So, even the bones of the Magi made a long journey, though I seriously doubt the folklore.
Like the visions of the Magi, dreams are a common feature in the Bible. Think of Joseph’s visions, Jacob’s ladder to heaven, and Daniel’s insights into Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Matthew filled his gospel with divinely guided dreams. The Acts of the Apostles 2.17 echoes the Hebrew Scriptures: “God declares that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Each dream represents the appearance of the divine.
What does it mean to dream? When we sleep, our minds are still active, creating elaborate stories and visuals. Most dreams are associated with our life experiences – work, friends, families, and health. We also use the word as a synonym for delusion, fantasy, or imagination. The divine dreams through you and me. Our dreams can guide us to envision success.
How do we find our way through the uncertainty of life? What if we dreamed our way through?
Affirm I dream of wonderous things. I listen to the one that dreams in me.