I worked as a nurse for many years, and one of my colleagues absolutely loved to throw random bits of information and facts into everyday conversations. For example, I once got new shoes with memory foam to help with my aching feet. He immediately piped up, ‘Did you know NASA invented memory foam to protect pilots on test flights?’
‘No,’ I replied, ‘but I do now.’
Then he would add, ‘And they also invented the infrared ear thermometer! It came from technology used to measure the temperature of stars.’
Every day, I went home knowing a little more. But honestly, while those facts were interesting, they weren’t life changing. They were good to know, but they weren’t exactly an epiphany.

What is the difference between an interesting fact and a true epiphany? A piece of trivia fills a blank space in your mind, but an epiphany brings not just information, but resolution that leads to transformation.

This tension is clearly played out as we move from Isaiah 59 into 60. In 59 all is lost, there is no hope, no justice, no peace, they are desperate for a resolution. They cry out, ‘We look for light, but all is darkness.’ Unfortunately, they can do nothing to fix this mess; all they can do is acknowledge their sin and cry out to God. Now God could have said ‘I told you so’ or ‘this situation is your own fault’ and that would have been true, they had abandoned God and gone their own way. However, God surprises them with grace, not judgement, and in Isaiah 59 promises that his own arm will achieve victory, and a Redeemer will come to those who repent.

Then right into the darkness, Isaiah 60 brings an explosion of Light: ‘Arise, shine, for your light has come!’

This is the Great Epiphany. Darkness covers the earth, but the glory of the Lord suddenly rises over you. The people don’t just receive information; they receive life-changing relief. Hope has finally arrived for a people who were longing for change. God steps into the darkest of places, pouring out light, peace, and life. Epiphany reminds us that God turns up in the unexpected, the hidden and the difficult places, bringing light and peace.

If Isaiah 60 reminds us of the brilliance of God’s epiphany light into darkness, then Ephesians 3 reminds of the unlimited reach of his hope and light. For in Ephesians 3 Paul who was a ‘Jew amongst Jews,’ who we could have forgiven for keeping the good news within the Hebrew family tree, takes the promises of Isaiah far beyond the boundaries of the generations of Israel and right into the gentile community too. This epiphany, this ‘aha’ moment, affects us all. God’s revelation of goodness and grace is unlimited and boundless, bringing hope to every nation and every generation. This is life-changing hope for everyone.

This matchless, unbounded, expanding light leads us directly to the feet of the Magi in Matthew 2. These foreign travellers saw a cosmic sign, a new star, that heightened their curiosity. It caused them to inquire and seek in deep anticipation of an answer. This was a gift of anticipation, that God had awakened in them not just by a sign but by the same grace that he reached out with in Isaiah 60.

When they arrived at the home of Mary and Joseph, however, the epiphany didn’t look like what they expected. There was no grandeur, no palace, and no royal trappings. The answer to the devastation and darkness of the world was found wrapped in the fragility of a child in a lowly, humble setting.

Not every answer from God looks the way we expect it to look, yet it is an epiphany that brings absolute resolution just the same. When the Magi finally saw Jesus, even if he was not what they expected, their only response was to bow down and worship.

Knowing a fact about the stars might change what you know. But encountering the One who made the stars changes everything. God’s epiphany brings light and hope into the darkest of places; it reaches without limit into every person, nation and generation. It does not always look like what we expect it to; it often isn’t the answer we thought it would be, but it changes lives and brings peace. The actions of the Magi prompt our response, we bow down and worship, for in the Christ child God’s hope has been revealed.