Welcome
… to a 70-day Epiphany devotional journey! It is my plan to craft daily reflections that trace the light of Christ from its first manifestation to the Wise Men all the way through His growing revelation to the world.
This will take right at ten weeks to work through. I’m going to partition this season of light, where Jesus is revealed like this (it might change a little):
The beautiful truth of Epiphany is that the revelation didn't stop with the biblical accounts. Christ continues to be revealed—through His followers who carry His light into dark places, through ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of love, through the church becoming the body that makes Jesus visible to a watching world.
As we move through Epiphany, we carry with us the light that has been revealed. We are striving to be the ones through whom Christ chooses to shine. To be the ongoing epiphany of God's love to a world that desperately needs to see His glory.
WEEK 1 — FOLLOWING THE STAR
January 5th – January 12th, 2026
DAY 1 — When Outsiders See First
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2
"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.'"
In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find his laboratory contaminated. Mold had ruined several bacterial cultures, and most scientists would have simply thrown them away. But Fleming noticed something unusual: around one patch of mold, the bacteria had died. Instead of discarding the "mistake," he studied it further.
That contaminated petri dish led to the discovery of penicillin, saving millions of lives. What the established medical community initially saw as laboratory failure, an outsider's curious eye recognized as breakthrough.
Fleming later said, "Fortune favors the prepared mind." Sometimes those on the margins see what those at the center miss entirely.
Reflection:
The Magi weren't Jewish. They weren't waiting for a Messiah. They weren't reading Hebrew prophets or attending synagogue. Yet they were the first to recognize the cosmic significance of Jesus' birth. While religious leaders in Jerusalem had to consult their scrolls to remember where the Messiah should be born, foreign astronomers were already following His star.
God often reveals Himself first to those we least expect to see Him.
Where might God be revealing Himself through "outsiders" in your life—people whose perspectives you might typically dismiss?
Prayer:
Lord, open my eyes to see You working through unexpected people and places.
Give me humility to learn from those outside my usual circles.
Help me recognize Your star wherever it appears. Amen.
Tuesday January 6th, 2026
DAY 2 — The Star That Disrupts
Scripture: Matthew 2:3
"When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him."
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. That single act of quiet defiance sent shockwaves through the established order. City officials scrambled to contain the situation. White business leaders feared economic disruption. Even some Black community leaders worried the timing wasn't right.
But Parks later explained: "I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed. I had decided that I would have to know once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen."
Her simple act of following her conscience disrupted an entire system that depended on keeping things as they were.
Reflection:
The star the Magi followed wasn't just a pretty light in the sky—it was a announcement that the old order was ending. No wonder Herod was terrified. No wonder all Jerusalem was troubled. When God shows up, He doesn't just add to what already exists; He transforms everything.
True encounters with Christ are always disruptive. They challenge our assumptions, upset our comfortable arrangements, and force us to reconsider what we thought we knew about God and ourselves.
What comfortable arrangements in your life might God be calling you to reconsider?
Prayer:
God of transformation, I confess that I sometimes prefer my comfortable arrangements to Your disruptive grace.
Give me courage to let You change what needs changing in my life.
Help me welcome Your star even when it leads to unfamiliar places. Amen.
Wednesday January 7th, 2026
DAY 3 — Following vs. Knowing
Scripture: Matthew 2:4-6
"Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet...'"
During World War II, Corrie ten Boom's family hid Jewish refugees in their home in Holland. When Nazi officials came searching, they found nothing. Later, Corrie discovered that their next-door neighbor—a lifelong Bible scholar who could quote entire chapters from memory—had been secretly reporting Jewish families to the authorities.
She wrote: "Amazing how much Bible knowledge can coexist with so little love. The scholars knew where to look, but they never went looking."
Reflection:
The religious experts in Jerusalem had all the right answers. They knew their Scripture. They could tell Herod exactly where the Messiah would be born. But knowledge didn't lead them to Bethlehem. They told others where to find Jesus, but they never went themselves.
The Magi, meanwhile, knew less but followed more. They had a star, a sense of direction, and the willingness to act on what little they understood.
God values the heart that follows over the mind that merely knows.
Are you following what you already know about God, or just accumulating more knowledge without acting on it?
Prayer:
Lord, save me from being satisfied with knowing about You without actually following You.
Give me a heart that acts on what it understands, even when my understanding is incomplete.
Make me a seeker, not just a scholar. Amen.
Thursday January 8th, 2026
DAY 4 — When the Star Disappears
Scripture: Matthew 2:7-8
"Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, 'Go and search diligently for the child; when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.'"
In 1914, Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in Antarctic ice. For months, the crew could see their destination across the frozen sea but couldn't reach it. The ship was eventually crushed, leaving them stranded on the ice with no clear path forward.
But Shackleton didn't panic. He kept his crew focused on survival and maintained their sense of purpose. "We are still aimed at our destination," he told them. "We just can't see the way right now."
Twenty-two months later, every member of the crew was rescued. Their leader's steady faith through the invisible season had kept them alive.
Reflection:
After leaving Herod, the Magi faced a dark stretch. The star that had guided them for months simply disappeared. Matthew doesn't tell us how long they searched or how they felt during that period, but we can imagine the doubt, the second-guessing, the temptation to turn back.
Sometimes following God means walking through seasons when we can't see His guidance clearly. The star disappears, but the destination remains.
What do you do when you can't sense God's direction but you know His calling on your life hasn't changed?
Prayer:
Lord, when I can't see Your star, help me remember Your destination.
When Your guidance feels unclear, keep my heart pointed toward You.
Give me faith to keep walking even in the dark stretches. Amen.
Friday January 9th, 2026
DAY 5 — The Star Returns
Scripture: Matthew 2:9-10
"When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy."
After months of chemotherapy, Sarah Cooperton’s cancer was in remission, but she felt spiritually empty. The treatments had saved her life but left her questioning everything she'd once believed about God's goodness. She stopped praying, stopped going to church, stopped reading her Bible.
Then one morning, while walking her dog, she saw a sunrise that took her breath away. For the first time in months, she felt a flicker of wonder. "It was like God was saying, 'I'm still here. I never left.'" That sunrise didn't solve her theological questions, but it reminded her that God's beauty was still breaking through.
"I realized," she said, "that God had been present during my dark season. I just couldn't see Him then."
Reflection:
God’s light is eternal and continues to shine – even in the Land of In Between!
"They were overwhelmed with joy." After the uncertainty, after the dark period when the star disappeared, after the meeting with Herod's false promises—the star returned. And this time it didn't just appear; it led them exactly where they needed to go.
God's guidance may disappear for a season, but it always returns at the right moment. The waiting isn't punishment; it's preparation for the joy of recognition.
When have you experienced the return of God's clear guidance after a period of uncertainty?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that Your guidance always returns when I need it most.
Help me trust that even when I can't see Your star, You are still leading me.
Fill me with joy when Your direction becomes clear again. Amen.
Saturday January 10th, 2026
DAY 6 — Finding What You Didn't Expect
Scripture: Matthew 2:11
"On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage."
In 1968, three researchers looking for evidence of cosmic radiation accidentally discovered what would become known as the "cosmic microwave background"—the afterglow of the Big Bang itself. They had been trying to eliminate mysterious static from their radio telescope when they realized the "noise" was actually the most important discovery in modern cosmology.
One of the scientists later said, "We were looking for one thing and found something infinitely more significant. The universe had been whispering its deepest secret to us, and we almost missed it because it didn't sound like what we expected."
Reflection:
The Magi expected to find a king in a palace. Instead, they found a toddler in a house. They expected guards and protocol. Instead, they found a young mother and her child. Everything about this scene violated their assumptions about power and royalty.
Yet they immediately recognized they had found exactly what they were looking for. True royalty doesn't require the trappings of royalty. True authority doesn't need the symbols of authority.
How might your expectations about how God should appear or act be keeping you from recognizing Him when He shows up?
Prayer:
Lord, help me recognize You even when You don't look like what I expected.
Free me from assumptions that might blind me to Your presence.
Give me eyes to see Your glory in humble places. Amen.
Sunday January 11th, 2026
DAY 7 — Going Home by Another Way
Scripture: Matthew 2:12
"Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another route."
After spending a year in a Ugandan orphanage, Dr. Jennifer Williams returned to her lucrative cardiology practice in Chicago. But everything felt different. The cases that once energized her now seemed trivial. The lifestyle that once satisfied her now felt empty.
Six months later, she sold her practice and moved to Uganda permanently. "I couldn't go back to the same life," she explained. "Once you've seen what really matters, the old route home doesn't work anymore."
Her colleagues thought she was crazy, but her patients in Uganda knew better. "Dr. Jennifer found her true calling," one said. "She had to take a different road to get to who she was meant to be."
Reflection:
The Magi's journey began with curiosity about a star and ended with worship of a king. But the real transformation happened in between. They couldn't return to their old life by their old route because they weren't the same people who had started the journey.
A real encounter with Christ always changes our route home. We can't go back to our old ways of seeing, thinking, or living. We become people who have knelt before the King.
How has following Christ changed the route of your life?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for encounters that change everything.
Help me embrace the new routes You open for me.
Make me someone who has truly knelt before You and been transformed. Amen.
Note: I accidentally started this blog on Monday instead of Tuesday - the real first day of Epiphany on the 6th. I adjusted the dates. You got abonus day! lol
… to a 70-day Epiphany devotional journey! It is my plan to craft daily reflections that trace the light of Christ from its first manifestation to the Wise Men all the way through His growing revelation to the world.
This will take right at ten weeks to work through. I’m going to partition this season of light, where Jesus is revealed like this (it might change a little):
- The Light drawing all nations (Weeks 1-2)
- The Word calling disciples from ordinary work to kingdom purpose (Weeks 3-4)
- The Miracle-worker demonstrating God's power over sickness, sin, and death (Weeks 5-6)
- The Teacher showing us how to live as salt and light (Weeks 7-8)
- The Lord gathering diverse crowds and choosing unlikely apostles (Weeks 9-10)
The beautiful truth of Epiphany is that the revelation didn't stop with the biblical accounts. Christ continues to be revealed—through His followers who carry His light into dark places, through ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of love, through the church becoming the body that makes Jesus visible to a watching world.
As we move through Epiphany, we carry with us the light that has been revealed. We are striving to be the ones through whom Christ chooses to shine. To be the ongoing epiphany of God's love to a world that desperately needs to see His glory.
WEEK 1 — FOLLOWING THE STAR
January 5th – January 12th, 2026
DAY 1 — When Outsiders See First
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2
"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.'"
In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find his laboratory contaminated. Mold had ruined several bacterial cultures, and most scientists would have simply thrown them away. But Fleming noticed something unusual: around one patch of mold, the bacteria had died. Instead of discarding the "mistake," he studied it further.
That contaminated petri dish led to the discovery of penicillin, saving millions of lives. What the established medical community initially saw as laboratory failure, an outsider's curious eye recognized as breakthrough.
Fleming later said, "Fortune favors the prepared mind." Sometimes those on the margins see what those at the center miss entirely.
Reflection:
The Magi weren't Jewish. They weren't waiting for a Messiah. They weren't reading Hebrew prophets or attending synagogue. Yet they were the first to recognize the cosmic significance of Jesus' birth. While religious leaders in Jerusalem had to consult their scrolls to remember where the Messiah should be born, foreign astronomers were already following His star.
God often reveals Himself first to those we least expect to see Him.
Where might God be revealing Himself through "outsiders" in your life—people whose perspectives you might typically dismiss?
Prayer:
Lord, open my eyes to see You working through unexpected people and places.
Give me humility to learn from those outside my usual circles.
Help me recognize Your star wherever it appears. Amen.
Tuesday January 6th, 2026
DAY 2 — The Star That Disrupts
Scripture: Matthew 2:3
"When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him."
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. That single act of quiet defiance sent shockwaves through the established order. City officials scrambled to contain the situation. White business leaders feared economic disruption. Even some Black community leaders worried the timing wasn't right.
But Parks later explained: "I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed. I had decided that I would have to know once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen."
Her simple act of following her conscience disrupted an entire system that depended on keeping things as they were.
Reflection:
The star the Magi followed wasn't just a pretty light in the sky—it was a announcement that the old order was ending. No wonder Herod was terrified. No wonder all Jerusalem was troubled. When God shows up, He doesn't just add to what already exists; He transforms everything.
True encounters with Christ are always disruptive. They challenge our assumptions, upset our comfortable arrangements, and force us to reconsider what we thought we knew about God and ourselves.
What comfortable arrangements in your life might God be calling you to reconsider?
Prayer:
God of transformation, I confess that I sometimes prefer my comfortable arrangements to Your disruptive grace.
Give me courage to let You change what needs changing in my life.
Help me welcome Your star even when it leads to unfamiliar places. Amen.
Wednesday January 7th, 2026
DAY 3 — Following vs. Knowing
Scripture: Matthew 2:4-6
"Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet...'"
During World War II, Corrie ten Boom's family hid Jewish refugees in their home in Holland. When Nazi officials came searching, they found nothing. Later, Corrie discovered that their next-door neighbor—a lifelong Bible scholar who could quote entire chapters from memory—had been secretly reporting Jewish families to the authorities.
She wrote: "Amazing how much Bible knowledge can coexist with so little love. The scholars knew where to look, but they never went looking."
Reflection:
The religious experts in Jerusalem had all the right answers. They knew their Scripture. They could tell Herod exactly where the Messiah would be born. But knowledge didn't lead them to Bethlehem. They told others where to find Jesus, but they never went themselves.
The Magi, meanwhile, knew less but followed more. They had a star, a sense of direction, and the willingness to act on what little they understood.
God values the heart that follows over the mind that merely knows.
Are you following what you already know about God, or just accumulating more knowledge without acting on it?
Prayer:
Lord, save me from being satisfied with knowing about You without actually following You.
Give me a heart that acts on what it understands, even when my understanding is incomplete.
Make me a seeker, not just a scholar. Amen.
Thursday January 8th, 2026
DAY 4 — When the Star Disappears
Scripture: Matthew 2:7-8
"Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, 'Go and search diligently for the child; when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.'"
In 1914, Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in Antarctic ice. For months, the crew could see their destination across the frozen sea but couldn't reach it. The ship was eventually crushed, leaving them stranded on the ice with no clear path forward.
But Shackleton didn't panic. He kept his crew focused on survival and maintained their sense of purpose. "We are still aimed at our destination," he told them. "We just can't see the way right now."
Twenty-two months later, every member of the crew was rescued. Their leader's steady faith through the invisible season had kept them alive.
Reflection:
After leaving Herod, the Magi faced a dark stretch. The star that had guided them for months simply disappeared. Matthew doesn't tell us how long they searched or how they felt during that period, but we can imagine the doubt, the second-guessing, the temptation to turn back.
Sometimes following God means walking through seasons when we can't see His guidance clearly. The star disappears, but the destination remains.
What do you do when you can't sense God's direction but you know His calling on your life hasn't changed?
Prayer:
Lord, when I can't see Your star, help me remember Your destination.
When Your guidance feels unclear, keep my heart pointed toward You.
Give me faith to keep walking even in the dark stretches. Amen.
Friday January 9th, 2026
DAY 5 — The Star Returns
Scripture: Matthew 2:9-10
"When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy."
After months of chemotherapy, Sarah Cooperton’s cancer was in remission, but she felt spiritually empty. The treatments had saved her life but left her questioning everything she'd once believed about God's goodness. She stopped praying, stopped going to church, stopped reading her Bible.
Then one morning, while walking her dog, she saw a sunrise that took her breath away. For the first time in months, she felt a flicker of wonder. "It was like God was saying, 'I'm still here. I never left.'" That sunrise didn't solve her theological questions, but it reminded her that God's beauty was still breaking through.
"I realized," she said, "that God had been present during my dark season. I just couldn't see Him then."
Reflection:
God’s light is eternal and continues to shine – even in the Land of In Between!
"They were overwhelmed with joy." After the uncertainty, after the dark period when the star disappeared, after the meeting with Herod's false promises—the star returned. And this time it didn't just appear; it led them exactly where they needed to go.
God's guidance may disappear for a season, but it always returns at the right moment. The waiting isn't punishment; it's preparation for the joy of recognition.
When have you experienced the return of God's clear guidance after a period of uncertainty?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that Your guidance always returns when I need it most.
Help me trust that even when I can't see Your star, You are still leading me.
Fill me with joy when Your direction becomes clear again. Amen.
Saturday January 10th, 2026
DAY 6 — Finding What You Didn't Expect
Scripture: Matthew 2:11
"On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage."
In 1968, three researchers looking for evidence of cosmic radiation accidentally discovered what would become known as the "cosmic microwave background"—the afterglow of the Big Bang itself. They had been trying to eliminate mysterious static from their radio telescope when they realized the "noise" was actually the most important discovery in modern cosmology.
One of the scientists later said, "We were looking for one thing and found something infinitely more significant. The universe had been whispering its deepest secret to us, and we almost missed it because it didn't sound like what we expected."
Reflection:
The Magi expected to find a king in a palace. Instead, they found a toddler in a house. They expected guards and protocol. Instead, they found a young mother and her child. Everything about this scene violated their assumptions about power and royalty.
Yet they immediately recognized they had found exactly what they were looking for. True royalty doesn't require the trappings of royalty. True authority doesn't need the symbols of authority.
How might your expectations about how God should appear or act be keeping you from recognizing Him when He shows up?
Prayer:
Lord, help me recognize You even when You don't look like what I expected.
Free me from assumptions that might blind me to Your presence.
Give me eyes to see Your glory in humble places. Amen.
Sunday January 11th, 2026
DAY 7 — Going Home by Another Way
Scripture: Matthew 2:12
"Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another route."
After spending a year in a Ugandan orphanage, Dr. Jennifer Williams returned to her lucrative cardiology practice in Chicago. But everything felt different. The cases that once energized her now seemed trivial. The lifestyle that once satisfied her now felt empty.
Six months later, she sold her practice and moved to Uganda permanently. "I couldn't go back to the same life," she explained. "Once you've seen what really matters, the old route home doesn't work anymore."
Her colleagues thought she was crazy, but her patients in Uganda knew better. "Dr. Jennifer found her true calling," one said. "She had to take a different road to get to who she was meant to be."
Reflection:
The Magi's journey began with curiosity about a star and ended with worship of a king. But the real transformation happened in between. They couldn't return to their old life by their old route because they weren't the same people who had started the journey.
A real encounter with Christ always changes our route home. We can't go back to our old ways of seeing, thinking, or living. We become people who have knelt before the King.
How has following Christ changed the route of your life?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for encounters that change everything.
Help me embrace the new routes You open for me.
Make me someone who has truly knelt before You and been transformed. Amen.
Note: I accidentally started this blog on Monday instead of Tuesday - the real first day of Epiphany on the 6th. I adjusted the dates. You got abonus day! lol
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