Epiphany: What the Wise Men Found

by Sacha Hemingway


An early representation of the three wise men (6th century AD)
I'm a wise man, a king, an astrologer, a scholar. I've done great things, seen great sights: but the story of the new-born king is the most amazing experience. I can remember the exact moment when the star shone brightly. It drew the three of us in. It was almost as if it was our destiny. It was more than just a star. It was a sign. A sign of a king. I don't know how, but we just knew it pointed to a new-born leader. 

We travelled for miles following that star. We didn't even have any proof that this would guide us. I felt stupid. A source of light can't take us to a leader, can it? But, just before we gave up hope, there we saw it: Bethlehem. We'd made it. We kept following the star through the streets, wondering where this king was and what he would look like. 

Finally, after days, months, of travelling the star stopped moving. We were confused. This was the last place we expected to see a king. 

We stopped outside a stable. Was this the king's home? As we entered, we were blinded by the amazing sight. In a manger, a baby lay asleep. He glowed in the soft evening light. We came forward. We put our gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh down, next to the manger, as a sign of worship. The mother, whose name was Mary. looked very grateful for the gifts and I bet the baby was too!
After seeing the baby, I began to wonder whether he was someone very special. The father, Joseph, said the boy was the son of God. We were shocked by the fact that this king was from such a poor background. I mean, it was a king we had found. I thought he would be in a palace with jewels and fine objects and with servants attending to his every need. Not a place with animals wandering around. It may have sounded strange at the time; but that child would go on to teach many good things to others. It just goes to show great people can come in any shape, size or circumstance. 

This piece was performed at the 2014 PGS Christmas Carol Service by Jean Mickael Hopkinson, Douglas James and Jonathan Furniss. 
















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