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Music One of the big stories of the incarnation and the big story that kind of kicks off the epiphany season is the visit of the

magi. Who were they? How did they know that what they saw in the sky would lead them to a child

that they would worship, not just greet, but actually fall down and worship. Welcome back to Issues CETRA. I'm Todd Wilkin.

Joining us to talk about the gifts of the Magi, Dr. John Bombarrow, senior pastor of St. James

Lutheran Church in Lafayette, Indiana, author of a column titled The Epiphany Star.

John, welcome back.

Thanks a lot, Todd, and a blessed epiphany to you.

The big question is, why did the Magi come to worship the Christ child?

Important, I think, is actually getting the chronology right here.

When Matthew gives us the account of the epiphany in his second chapter, you know, we have followed on that the name given to

this child is Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. That's a future event. So they're

not coming to worship him as the savior of the world because he hadn't saved anyone yet. And they

weren't worshipping him because they weren't bringing these gifts because they loved him.

They hadn't even met him.

But this is all straight out of a recognition of who he is per se in himself.

They're coming to worship Jesus and bringing gifts that are worthy of worship because he is the Christ of God.

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