Happy New Year. The start of a New Year holds promise and excitement and we look forward with hope to all 2016 will bring.
As the Christmas period comes to an end I hope you had the opportunity to see at least some of the poems and readings in the Advent Calendar on the St Dyfnog’s Church web page. Congratulations to everyone who took part, it was a great joy to see such varied contributions from members of the congregation. Special thanks to our webmaster Kath Mitchell-Dawson who compiled and edited it all. The Advent Calendar will be available to view until 6th January.
The 6th January also sees the Feast of the Epiphany, the arrival of the wise men. Traditionally the wise men form part of the Nativity scene, but they travelled far and it is likely that arrived well after the event. It was a journey that may well have taken several years. Their journey would have taken them to unknown lands, across deserts and plains; they followed a star without knowing exactly where it was taking them. They were learned men who studied the stars and they knew this very bright star heralded a very important event, the birth of a King. The Bible tells us they were wise men, but Matthew, the Gospel writer, does not tell us that they were kings, nor that there were only three of them. Three gifts, wealthy gifts, gifts that would have been well outside the purchasing power of most of the people. Subsequently down the ages we have given them title of the Three Kings.
The image of the wise men kneeling before the manger is one wonderfully portrayed in many paintings down the ages. They had journeyed far but when they finally reached their destination they knew that here lay the King of kings. After such a long journey you would have expected them to stay a while and have a rest yet we are told having presented their gifts they left for their home country by another road.
Today we ponder the expression ‘wise men still seek him’ as we journey to and with Christ. As a new year begins we do not know where our journey will take us, but as we journey with Jesus we know that it will be an adventure and we look forward with hope and confidence to 2016.
I wish all the blessings the New Year holds.
Val Rowlands
