Every year the Oxford English Dictionary creates a shortlist of eight words,  which are ‘chosen to reflect the mood, ethos, or preoccupations of the past year.’ The words are then put to a public vote. In 2023 the word selected to be the Oxford Word of the Year was ‘rizz’. This is a colloquial word meaning ‘style, charm, or attractiveness’, and is a shortened form of the word ‘charisma’. I would like to propose a word of the year for 2024: ‘hope’. Each one of us longs, from the very core of our being, to hear a message of hope. Hope for the future, something to inspire us. Today we continue to celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas, as we mark the Solemn Feast of the Lord’s Epiphany: His coming into the world to bring hope. Wise men recognise who Jesus is and why He is important. As Christians, we continue to place our hope in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, born among us, and now made manifest to the world as its saviour. 

The Feast of Epiphany celebrates the coming of Wise Men from the East who followed a star, looking for a baby, who has been born king of the Jews. They go to Jerusalem, to see King Herod, as they assume that a king will be born to a royal family, in a palace. You cannot fault their reasoning. The Magi see a sign prefiguring a royal birth and go to the place where they think it will occur. Their arrival, however, does not quite have the effect they were expecting:

‘When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.’ 

‘Ond pan glybu Herod frenin, efe a gyffrowyd, a holl Jerwsalem gydag ef. A chwedi dwyn ynghyd yr holl archoffeiriaid ac ysgrifenyddion y bobl, efe a ymofynnodd â hwynt pa le y genid Crist.’ (Mt 2:3-4)

The wise men assume that the birth of a royal baby is a cause for celebration, but is certainly isn’t for Herod! His family bribed the Romans to gain the throne. They were not related to King David, and they were not even from Israel. So, on hearing the news from the wise men, Herod assembles all the religious and legal experts he can find. He is terrified that his position as king is under serious threat. The child could have a legitimate claim. There could be a revolution and regime change. Herod needs to know where this child will be born.

They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 

‘A hwy a ddywedasant wrtho, Ym Methlehem Jwdea: canys felly yr ysgrifennwyd trwy’r proffwyd; A thithau, Bethlehem, tir Jwda, nid lleiaf wyt ymhlith tywysogion Jwda: canys ohonot ti y daw Tywysog, yr hwn a fugeilia fy mhobl Israel.’(Mt 2:5-6)

Once Herod knows where the child is expected to be born, the next thing is to find out when the birth will take place, and finally to establish who this royal baby is. Bethlehem is the birthplace of the Davidic monarchy: King David was born there, and so was Jesus. The Gospel quotes a prophecy of Micah ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ (Micah 5:2) to support the claim. 

‘Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way.’ 

‘Yna Herod, wedi galw y doethion yn ddirgel, a’u holodd hwynt yn fanwl am yr amser yr ymddangosasai y seren. Ac wedi eu danfon hwy i Fethlehem, efe a ddywedodd, Ewch, ac ymofynnwch yn fanwl am y mab bychan; a phan gaffoch ef, mynegwch i mi, fel y gallwyf finnau ddyfod a’i addoli ef. Hwythau, wedi clywed y brenin, a aethant;’(Mt 2:7-9)

Herod claims that he wants to know when the baby was born, so that he may come and worship the infant king. However, he has no intention of relinquishing his power, his behaviour is a sham. The Wise Men leave the royal palace and head for Bethlehem.

‘And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.’ 

‘ac wele, y seren a welsent yn y dwyrain a aeth o’u blaen hwy, hyd oni ddaeth hi a sefyll goruwch y lle yr oedd y mab bychan. A phan welsant y seren, llawenychasant â llawenydd mawr dros ben’ (Mt 2:9-10)

The Magi have travelled hundreds of miles because they saw a star in the heavens. Now it is above Bethlehem, and they have reached the new-born King. 

‘And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.’ 

‘A phan ddaethant i’r tŷ, hwy a welsant y mab bychan gyda Mair ei fam; a hwy a syrthiasant i lawr, ac a’i haddolasant ef: ac wedi agoryd eu trysorau, a offrymasant iddo anrhegion; aur, a thus, a myrr.’ (Mt 2:11) 

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are unusual gifts for a baby, even a royal one. They are, however, all precious and expensive. The first gift, gold, is a precious metal, which is pure and does not tarnish. It is a gift fit for a king. Gold’s purity points to a life of perfect obedience, the pattern of how life should be lived. The second gift is frankincense from Arabia, which was offered to God in the Temple in Jerusalem. As the sweet-smelling smoke rose, it looked like prayers rising to God. Frankincense is a sign of worship, and honour, representing how humanity should respond to God. The final gift, Myrrh, was an ointment, used for embalming. It speaks of death. Even in Jesus’ birth, we see Christ’s kingly power, and His obedience to the will of the Father. We see His role in worship as our great High Priest, which leads Him to Death and Burial.

‘And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.’ 

‘Ac wedi eu rhybuddio hwy gan Dduw trwy freuddwyd, na ddychwelent at Herod, hwy a aethant drachefn i’w gwlad ar hyd ffordd arall.’ (Mt 2:12)

The Wise Men are warned to neither go back to Herod, nor to tell him who Jesus is. This is because Herod does not want to worship Jesus, he wants to kill Him, in order to safeguard his own position on the throne. And so the unexpected visitors leave as mysteriously as they arrived. These pilgrims from afar gave Our Lord gifts which celebrate His Humanity and Divinity, and which point towards His Death and Burial. The beginning of Jesus’ earthly life looks to its end, because it is all part of the outworking of salvation history.

The Wise Men recognise the baby as the Messiah, the one who brings hope. They are gentiles from a distant land and show that the hope that Jesus brings is for all the peoples of the earth. The Magi recognise that the star points to a royal baby, of the House of David. Jesus is the true king, who will give hope and freedom to His people, and all the earth, through His life, death, and Resurrection. Here at the beginning of Christ’s earthly life we can see where it leads. Jesus gives us hope, hope in God who keeps His promises and offers salvation to His people.

So in 2024 let us be filled with the hope, joy and love. Let us give thanks for the Saviour made manifest, and may we proclaim the Good News of Our Salvation. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen