"Epiphany is Serendipity"
#71-17Presented on The Lutheran Hour on January 4, 2004
By Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries
Q&A MP3
Text: Matthew 2:1-11
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Those who have seen the incomparable story of salvation; who have worshipped Jesus in His cradle; who have cried before His cross; who have looked with awe and wonder into His empty tomb, which assures all who believe that they have been given the crown of life, know this: nothing in this world, no other sight can compare with the love of God which has come to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We have God's Epiphany, which is serendipity.
Epiphany is serendipity? No, you didn't hear that wrong. And, no, we haven't started to broadcast "The Lutheran Hour" in a foreign language. You probably heard me right, Epiphany is serendipity. Those are two words, one very old, one very new, that you may not have heard before. Let's take a look at them. Let's talk about the new one, serendipity, first. Have you ever started looking for one thing, and wound up finding another, a better thing? If so, you have experienced serendipity.
The word was first used in a letter written on January 28, 1754, by Horace Walpole. According to a news release made by the British Broadcasting Company in September of 2000, serendipity is England's favorite word, beating out: love, peace, hope, faith, money, family and, yes, even Jesus. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/930319.stm) Walpole borrowed the word from a tenth century Persian fairytale that talked about "The Three Princes of Serendip," who had the ability to look for one thing and find something better.
When Columbus was looking for Asia and found the Americas, that was serendipity. In 1827, John Walker had spent the day mixing chemicals. Wishing to clean his floor, he scraped a mixing stick across the stones and the stick burst into flames. Matches were created. Serendipity. It was the year 1853 when George Crum, a chef working in Saratoga Springs had some problems. His potatoes, according to a customer, weren't crisp enough. Finally, after repeated efforts to unsog his potatoes, Crum sliced his potatoes paper-thin, fried them in fat, and gave America her most popular snack food – potato chips. Serendipity. In 1879, a worker lingering too long over lunch let a batch of liquified soap mix too long. He hoped his mistake would go unnoticed. The customers noticed. The soap, with an abundant mixture of air, floated. Ivory Soap started to clean things 99 and 44/100ths percent pure. Serendipity. In 1905, Frank Epperson, an eleven- year-old boy, left his drink made up of soda powder and water on his back porch. During the night, the liquid froze around the stirring stick and popsicles were born. Serendipity!
In 1945 Percy Spencer was working around a magnetron and felt the chocolate bar he was carrying in his pocket melt. Bingo, the first microwave had been born. It was serendipity! It was around 1945 that George deMestral, a mountain-hiking botanist stopped to pull some burrs off his socks. Intrigued at their sticking power, he looked at the burrs under his microscope, and thought up Velcro. Serendipity. Looking for one thing and finding something better – that's serendipity.
Serendipity happened to a father this past Christmas. His family was wrapping all their Christmas presents. Julie, the man's 4½ year old daughter wanted to do something, too. When her father took the cover off a box and laid it off to the side, Julie took it. When a piece of silvered wrapping paper was discarded, she took that, too. Eventually she had enough of these cast-off scraps to go to her room, and with great concentration, wrapped a special gift for her daddy. The package didn't have the neatly folded corners of the other presents. Indeed, the box looked pretty strange and, I think, pretty special.
On Christmas morning, the family had gathered to distribute the plunder and rip open the wrappings. All the presents had been distributed, opened and ooohhhed over; all of them except that of the little girl, Julie. As sort of the supreme climax to the festivities, she scrambled behind the tree where she had hidden her present, and proudly presented it. "Daddy," she explained, "this is for you." Dad shook it. "Julie," daddy commented, "it's mighty light." Dad made some appropriate guesses about the gift: "Is it a Volkswagen? Is it a St. Bernard? Is it a bowling ball?" No, it was none of those things. Finally, with considerable care he opened it. Looking inside and finding nothing, he commented, "Julie the box is empty. I love what you did, but I'm confused, this is an empty box." "But Daddy, it's not empty. Before I wrapped your present, I blew the box full of kisses, and put into it all my love." The father had been looking for one thing, and wound up finding another; something quite finer than anything he might have imagined. It was serendipity. Serendipity comes at the strangest moments.
All of these stories are examples of serendipity; finding something unexpected, wonderful, when you don't expect it. Which takes me back to my first words: Epiphany is serendipity. "Okay," you say, "I understand serendipity, but what is epiphany?" Be patient, I'll tell you. In general, the word epiphany means manifestation or revelation. For those into trivia, Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas and your true love is supposed to give you twelve drummers drumming. For those who are discontent with what they received as a gift on December 25th, Epiphany is an unwritten deadline to take your stuff back for a refund. To some, Epiphany is just about the time when you have reluctantly set aside most of your New Year's resolutions with a promise to try again, when the calendar flips over.
But if you're a Christian, if you are "in the know," Epiphany is a celebration time to remember that the Baby Who was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, is Somebody very special. Epiphany is a celebration which recalls how some time after Jesus was born, wise men, magi following a new heaven-sent star, showed up in Jerusalem to pay their respects to the next leader of the Jewish nation. Before we go any farther we might want to ask, who were these men? Some say they were Zoroastrian priests from Persia, which is now Iran. Some say they were magi from Egypt. Either way, these people, these magi were great students of the sky and celestial changes. Either way, it would have taken them a fair amount of time and dedication and money to get to Jerusalem. That's where we find these wise men, in Jerusalem.
Being wise men, you might think that they would make good choices. Well, these wise men weren't quite wise enough. Wisdom had told them it was only natural that they should come to Jerusalem and check in at King Herod's palace. Where else, other than a palace, would you expect to find a newborn king? It was very logical. It was very sensible. It was also very wrong. There was no newborn child in the palace. "So if He's not here, where should we look?" the wondering wise men wanted to know. That's when scholars were summoned, and the inerrant Scriptures were consulted.
After picking up some directions from God's inspired Word, the wise men set out again following the star, and found themselves standing before a small, unassuming home in Bethlehem, which was currently occupied by a Galilean carpenter, his wife Mary, and yes, a Baby Boy by the name of Jesus. Have you ever started a search for one thing and wound up with something else, something better? That's the story of the wise men! Have you ever started looking for the earthly and been led to the heavenly? That was the epiphany of these wise men. They were brought to something better, more beautiful, more unbelievable than they could have imagined. The wise men had come to see the future king of a country, and they found the Christ, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. They came looking for a temporal monarch and they found Him Who is our Substitute, our Savior, our Salvation.
It is little wonder that they prostrated themselves before Him. It is not surprising that these men who had traveled so many miles, were not disappointed with what they found. Indeed, Scripture tells us, these wise men rejoiced, and did not hesitate to fall down in humble adoration before the infant Jesus. These men who had seen so much of life, who had dedicated their lives to the accumulation of wisdom, did not consider themselves too grand, too elite, too self-sufficient to bow down and worship the Christ Child. These wise men who, by God's guidance had been led on the first star trek, considered it right to present their gifts, gifts which would become the precedent for all future Christmas presents.
They considered it an honor to humbly offer glittering gold for their heaven-sent King; fragrant frankincense for the worship of their High Priest Who would intercede between the Divine Deity and damned humanity; and myrrh, a costly resin used in perfume and for the embalming of the dead. This last, a special gift, for it was a reminder that the Christ Child was not to be worshipped because He was an earthly king, but because He was a heaven-sent Savior. Epiphany is serendipity. The wise men had gone looking for one thing and were lead by God, and a star, to Someone far better.
Epiphany is serendipity. The church in every generation needs to know that. The early church did. That's why Epiphany was the one of the greatest of festivals – second only to Easter in prominence. Epiphany was God's way of saying to people of every race, every color, every age, "Hey, this Jesus is the One I've been promising through the prophets. This is the Savior for the centuries. This is the One Who can rescue and redeem you from sin and Satan." Epiphany is the celebration of the church which says, Jesus is a great and mighty Wonder, a full and holy Cure. The Virgin has born the Infant with virgin honor pure! Since all He comes to ransom, by all be He adored, the Infant born in Bethlehem, is the Savior and the Lord.
Epiphany is the celebration of serendipity. We look for one thing, God supplies another. He does it all the time. The childless priest Zacharias set out to burn incense and serendipity, ended up with a promise that his son would be the forerunner of the Savior. A Samaritan woman went to a well to draw water and serendipity, found the Savior Who gave her forgiveness and a new path to walk. The tax collector Matthew, went to his booth to levy tolls upon travelers and serendipity, was called to follow the Savior. The widow of Nain started a walk that would end with the burial of her only son; serendipity, she met Jesus and received not just a living son, but a Savior who cared. The apostle Peter set out to catch some fish and serendipity, he ended up fishing for sinful souls. Paul had gone on a hunt for heretics and serendipity, was called by the Christ to spend his days proclaiming the path that leads to paradise. Mary Magdalene sat before an open tomb and started a search to find her Teacher's dead body; and most wondrous serendipity of all, she saw her living, death-defeating Savior.
Time and again people search for one thing, and in Jesus find something, Someone, far better. Over the centuries, many people have been led to see the Savior. In the 1800s Lew Wallace, general, politician, and unbeliever was challenged to write a book which would expose Jesus as a fraud. As Wallace researched his material, he became engrossed in Jesus' life. Something happened to him. He looked for a fraud and found himself worshipping with the magi. The book he wrote was the great Christian novel, "Ben Hur." A number of years ago a pastor by the name of Kenneth Goodson went to the Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Walking through the facility he saw people gathering in small groups – small groups studying the Scriptures. Werner von Braun, the head of America's space program at that time, explained, "We have discovered the further we go into space, and the more we learn about the universe, the more we are driven to believe in God." Serendipity. Many of the scientists searching in space had been led to see their Savior. Serendipity.
Of course, none of the magi, none of the scientists, none of us, can by our own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him; but when we are called by the Gospel, and enlightened by God's gifts, we are given a serendipitous Savior. We are given a Savior Who has redeemed us, lost and condemned creatures. We are lead to a Savior Who has won us from sin, death, and the power of the devil; not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death. No matter what our search, God wants to give us something better. Through the Means of Grace, God wishes to call us from our sins and to the crucified and risen Christ. Why? So that we may have serendipity. So that we might be God's own, and live under Him in His kingdom and family, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness. Serendipity happened for the wise men. God wishes serendipity to happen to you.
Years ago, a huge crowd gathered in the street outside a hotel in Glasgow, Scotland. They gave a great welcome to their victorious football team. During the celebration, a quiet little man slipped into the hotel, quite unnoticed. He didn't amount to anything in that big crowd, but he was the man who had discovered penicillin! The crowd saw only a soccer team, not the man who was responsible for saving so many of their lives. Sad when people see only the secondary; tragic when people see this globe's glitter and glamour and overlook God's great grace. Don't get so caught up in this worldly fluff and foolishness that you miss God's Son, your Savior, our Serendipity. Today, no matter what you have been looking for, no matter where you are looking, the Holy Spirit wants you to see Jesus. Don't let the Babe of Bethlehem slip through your world unnoticed. Today, this day, let your eyes be lifted from the unimportant and see this great thing that the Lord has done for you; see the One Who has saved you, your soul, your family, your friends, from the fires of eternal agony and anguish. As He did with the wise men, let the Lord lift your eyes from that which seems important and show you something better. Lutheran Hour Ministries stands ready to help you see the Savior and His serendipity. Call us. Let us help you go to Bethlehem and hear God say, as did little Julie, our 4½ year old, "The present is not empty. Christ's cradle is not empty. Look closely, wrapped in swaddling clothes is your Present. God has put in Him all His love." Serendipity.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions and answers) for January 4, 2004
TOPIC: Customs and Traditions of Epiphany
ANNOUNCER: And we're back with Pastor Ken Klaus, I'm Mark Eischer. Many traditions and customs are associated with Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. I'm wondering, what about the traditions and customs for this time after Christmas?
KLAUS: Hi Mark. Good topic for today; also, because this week many Christian congregations are celebrating the church festival of Epiphany.
ANNOUNCER: Now for those who might be unfamiliar with that word, could you tell us what Epiphany is?
KLAUS: Gladly. The word Epiphany means "to make known." When the early church began to celebrate Epiphany, they were giving thanks that the Lord had made His Son known to all peoples and all nations. Epiphany is part of Christmas; it's the day the church remembers the wise men, the magi, showing up to worship the Christ child.
ANNOUNCER: You mean like in that hymn, "We Three Kings of Orient Are?"
KLAUS: Well Mark, I think that hymn holds the record for the most errors packed into one title. Six words in the song's title, six words, three mistakes.
ANNOUNCER: And what are the mistakes?
KLAUS: First, three kings. We don't know if there were three or three hundred wise men. We assume there were three because the Gospel of Matthew mentions three gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As far as them being kings, the Gospel of Matthew where the story of the wise men is told, never says they were kings. They were magi, astrologers, astronomers. Since that's the case, we can be pretty sure they didn't come from the Orient. The magi were from the mid-east, from places like modern day Iran.
ANNOUNCER: Are there other wrong traditions that may have crept into our remembrance of Epiphany?
KLAUS: There are. For example, when people set up their crèche, their manger scene, they usually have the wise men standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the shepherds.
ANNOUNCER: Ours is like that.
KLAUS: But the wise men didn't go to worship Jesus in the stable. Matthew says very clearly that the wise men came to a house.
ANNOUNCER: Which suggests the wise men didn't arrive on Christmas night.
KLAUS: For reasons that I won't explain in detail Mark, we can safely say Jesus was more than a month old but less than two years old when they came.
ANNOUNCER: Where does all this misinformation come from?
KLAUS: Some of it comes from books that never made it into the Bible. A lot of it comes from centuries of curious and enthusiastic Christians.
ANNOUNCER: How?
KLAUS: There are a lot of empty spots in the Gospel. As we read God's Holy Word, the Bible, we know the Holy Spirit gave us what we needed to know for salvation. Nevertheless, there are some things that we would like to know more about.
ANNOUNCER: So there's sort of a vacuum?
KLAUS: Exactly. And where there's a vacuum, somebody is almost certain to fill it.
ANNOUNCER: With made-up stuff?
KLAUS: Sometimes. Like any story or rumor, things, seemingly innocent things, take on a life of their own. St. Nicholas starts out as a Christian bishop who was trying to do good. The world has twisted and exploited him into Santa Claus, poster boy for materialism. Wise men, on the other hand, have had the gaps in their story filled in by storytellers over the centuries.
ANNOUNCER: And what kind of things did these storytellers add?
KLAUS: Well the Bible doesn't give us the names of the wise men, but somewhere around the 7th century some storyteller started to call them Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Somebody gave them the ages of 20, 40, and 60. Somebody showed them as representing different races.
ANNOUNCER: But we really don't know any of that?
KLAUS: No, we don't know. But still, customs have sprung up about them. It's probably not that anyone meant to do anything wrong; it's just that in some cases the legend ended up replacing the reality.
ANNOUNCER: I have to admit, I'm really not all that familiar with a lot of the customs of Epiphany.
KLAUS: Not surprising. We don't celebrate Epiphany much in the Western hemisphere. But in Europe, Epiphany remains a big celebration. Children look for the wise men to come bringing gifts. They put out food for the wise men's camels. Children in some places go door to door to raise money for charity.
ANNOUNCER: And what should we do with all of this?
KLAUS: Many Christian parents have had a hard time escaping the commercialism of Christmas. Epiphany – when the first Gentiles came to worship the Christ child, can be celebrated as a Christmas alternative. It remains Christian. We can do with it, what we will. That's the way it's still done in the eastern churches. There is much that's good in some of these customs. We just need to remember they are customs, and then use those customs to glorify our Savior, and inspire us.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
