Three wise men. The Magi. These non-Hebrews recognized this little child in a manger to be King of Kings, Prince of Peace, the Messiah. The story, the season, is all about change. It is all about taking one’s presumptions and casting them aside.

There is great intrigue in the bible story. Deception, lies, dreams, are all part of the plot to gain information so that the Good News, God’s Word, might be killed, eliminated from the orderly and controlled rule that this little child threatened.

These visitors from the East, following a star, are something of a mystery. They represent, we are told, the Gentiles, the rich and powerful, the ruling class of this earth. So when they come, bearing gifts, on bended knee before this little child, we may conclude that these men had their idea of power and order turned upside down.

What were their lives like following this incredible encounter? They are certainly moved enough by what they witnessed that they changed their route home avoiding telling Herod what he wanted to know. Their presence changed the lives of Joseph and Mary enough causing them to flee into Egypt for protection of their newborn son.

It is all about change. It is all about encountering the unexpected. It is all about epiphany, as one definition in Webster’s College Dictionary states: "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into reality of the essential meaning of something, often initiated by some simple, commonplace occurrence."

One may argue that for the Magi this was no simple, commonplace occurrence in their lives. All too often, however, the yearly celebration of this story removes the impact, hides the questions and masks the answers.

The answers may best be found in how one lives after encountering the Word of God, the Good News, the Prince of Peace. Some are called into a greater and closer relationship with this incarnation of the creator of the earth by befriending the earth more closely. ("The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it." Psalm 24).

Responding to this call may include taking public transportation instead of driving all the time. It could mean purchasing cars that pollute less reducing global warming that threatens people, plants and animal habitats. ("Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Matthew 19:19).

It may mean turning off lights when not needed, replacing regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs or switching to renewable forms of power that do not pollute the air. Our diocese is moving toward this form of energy generation with the adoption of a resolution at the October Convention in Park City.

An Epiphany encounter may cause one to work for a living wage, lobby for peace and against war, volunteer at a food pantry or join the ministry to prisoners in Utah jails, start or join an environmental ministry, go to bible study or take an inquiry class.

The Magi returned home by another route. They changed direction. Literally. Epiphany living is about making that change in direction of our own lives toward the new reality encountered through the incarnation of God as human being, the person of Jesus. And if we find fear is an abiding companion in that encounter, we can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Each one of us in each of our parish communities is also afraid. And together we can change direction and live into Epiphany with great faith and fear.

The Rev. Daniel J. Webster is Director of Communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. A media producer with an extensive background in television and radio, he has served churches in Utah and California since his ordination to the clergy. Dan can be reached by email at dwebster@episcopal-ut.org