One of the ways of celebrating Epiphany, that I have greatly enjoyed over the years is to disappear to Southern Spain and to join in the celebrations that sprawl out on to the streets. Not only is it good fun it is also (usually) warm. Further North in Spain you might encounter snow but in the Malaga region you might, remarkably be in shorts and a t-shirt!
The Spaniards really go to town for Epiphany, there are of course the special church services but these are accompanied with marching bands and street processions in which the three kings or queens or both ride into town along with Father Christmas and other assorted characters. It is all a mis-mash of the sacred and the secular but beware! In the spirit of gift giving the ‘kings’ throw handfuls of boiled sweets into the crowd and you have to be lucky not to be hit on the head or in the eye by said sweets. No health and safety in these celebrations.
Along with the processions and services Epiphany is the day on which presents are exchanged, which is perhaps more in keeping with the theme of the day than Christmas Day itself, when the present given then is actually Jesus Christ, the gift of salvation, from God to us.
Epiphany is different, gifts were given as symbols of thanksgiving for the redemption the kings sought and found in the infant Jesus. So present giving at Epiphany makes more sense, as we ape those ‘wise men’.
The Epiphany story is a good story and whether or not it happened in the way we think it did does not matter for there is great truth in the story itself as recorded by Matthew and only in his Gospel account. The three kings (for use of a better term, they could be magi, sages or wise men) represent three different ages of humanity and three different geological and cultural backgrounds, to make but two suggestions.
Casper is old and with a white beard and represents those from the Mediterranean. It is he who gives gold. Melchior is middle aged and offers frankincense from his home in Arabia. Balthasar is young and from Africa or the Yemen, depending on what source you read and he offers myrrh.
The gifts also have a deeper meaning than just being gifts, useful or not. They are also traditional gifts given to a king; gold for its value, frankincense for its perfume and myrrh as an anointing oil. In relation to Christ they refer to his ‘kingship’ (the gold), his priestly ministry (frankincense used to represent the rising of prayer to God) and myrrh an embalming oil (signifying Jesus’ martyrdom). Or simply virtue, prayer and suffering.
Like all good festivals Epiphany is also a time for families and friends to gather together and to enjoy each other’s company. Not everyone will remember Christ but those of us who do can appreciate the gift of family and friends and the blessings that Jesus Christ showers upon us.
Matthew’s account of the kings visit is full of drama, they are inspired by a new star to travel from the East to find the promised Messiah, the King who will save the world. They encounter a corrupt and paranoid King Herod, who is so spooked and threatened by what they have to say that he orders the murder of all boys under the age of two. Which also tells us that the kings did not arrive at the manger with the shepherds (as many artists would like us to suppose) but up to two years later. When they find the Holy Family and pay homage to Jesus they are overjoyed but in their dreams later that night they are warned not to return by the way way as they will have an angry Herod to deal with. So they outwit ‘the old fox’ and return home by other routes.
It is a good story with at its heart the message that Jesus is truly the Son of God, who was born to save us as king, priest and martyr. This is what we celebrate today the fact that in the face of the infant Jesus we see our salvation, totally, utterly and for all time.