Feast of the Epiphany January 4, 2026 Matthew 2:1-12 From childhood you have probably sung “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” The kings, or rather Magi, represent Gentiles from the known ancient world–Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East–or people in their youth, prime, and old age. This carol also teaches the relevance of the gifts to the Christ Child: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for a sacrificial victim. Little did anyone know that the Holy Family would soon become refugees in Egypt, where gold could help support them. The sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to a caravan going to Egypt (Gen. 37.26-28). Later, Joseph would save the Egyptians and his family from famine, and Christ would save the world from sin (Matt. 2.13-15). During the Exodus, the Israelites were commanded to mix frankincense with spices and burn them before the Arc of the Covenant in the Meeting Tent (Exod. 30.34-38). Thus, Moses is a type of Christ interceding for His people. During His Passion, Jesus refused to drink “wine mixed with myrrh” because it would dull the pain of the crucifixion (Mark 15.23). Nicodemus brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, […]