The text tells of the magi, probably Zoroastrian priests, coming to visit Jesus at the time of his birth. It is distressing to note that congregations are often burnt out with Christmas and Christmas-related texts by this time. The 25th of December seems long ago, and New Year's Eve parties and New Year's Day repentances and football games happened one whole work week past. The Church has failed to preserve Epiphany properly; allowing modern culture to replace the Twelve Days of Christmas with the last twelve shopping days until Christmas.

The magi, or wise men described in this week's text, were primarily perceived as Babylonian astrologers by Matthew - not magicians with some other worldly powers, but experts with special knowledge. In fact the magi initially act like typical absent-mind…