In mid-December of 1944, Allied forces were surprised by a massive German offensive through the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium, France. Caught in what would become known as the “Battle of the Bulge,” the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Armed Forces was holed up in the town of Bastogne while German armed forces encircled the town.

The Israelites were trapped. They had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. But then God used His chosen servant, Moses, to go to Pharaoh and proclaim God’s thunderous demand, “Let my people go!” When Pharaoh refused, God brought His divine judgment upon Egypt in order to force Pharaoh’s hand. Plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death to the livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death to the firstborn pummeled the land, its people, and its animals.

Brad and Emma (not their real names) had serious marriage problems. He had cheated on her. Multiple times. Emma accepted Brad back. Though she was willing to work on the marriage … he obviously wasn’t. Even after begging for Emma to trust him, to forgive him, and promising never to even look at another woman … he did it again. He cheated on her. Finally, Emma had enough. Brad had run out of chances.

Emma wouldn’t be fooled anymore. 

A grandmother dies unexpectedly. A middle school student learns she has cancer. A friend is hospitalized. Another friend becomes weak and homebound. A senior citizen suffers a heart attack while on vacation. A baby is born 3 months prematurely. A family member is murdered.

These are all events that have happened recently to Epiphany members or friends and family of our members.

So why do these kinds of bad things happen to us?

I used to raise chickens as a child on my parents’ farm. We had three chicken coops full. One coop was full of Leghorns which were good for laying eggs. The second coop was full of Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and Barred Rocks for butchering. The third coop was full of our show birds for 4-H – Black Cochins, Yokohama and Polish chickens.

When you study Scripture, you realize that God really seems to like mountains. After the flood, Noah’s ark comes to rest on Mt. Ararat. Abraham has his knife raised ready to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mt. Moriah. God gives Moses His Ten Commandments and shines in His glory on Mt. Moriah. God burns up Elijah’s sacrifice among the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Jesus gives His beatitudes on a mountain. Jesus prays in the garden on the Mt. of Olives. Jesus dies for the sins of the world on Mt. Calvary. Jesus ascends into heaven from a mountain.

The residents of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth thought they knew better than the Son of God who was standing in their midst. Jesus had come home. The Nazarenes had heard about all the great miracles Jesus had been doing in the surrounding country and how He was preaching with authority. They filled up the synagogue on the Sabbath. During the Divine Service the hometown boy read from Isaiah 61. A big time Messianic prophecy! It’s where God promises to send a Savior. He would be the anointed Messianic preacher of the Gospel for the spiritually oppressed, freedom for those under spiritual captivity and spiritual sight for the spiritually blind.

Aaron Rodgers threw a 41-yard Hail Mary pass to Jeff Janis to put the game against the Cardinals into overtime. But three plays later, the Arizona Cardinals were victorious. The Green Bay Packers were unable to fulfill their goal of winning the Super Bowl this year.

On the one side of the Jordan River was the desert, the wilderness. On the other side, was the Promised Land. On the one side, death. On the other side, life. The Jordan River was literally the line in the sand.

“We Three Kings of Orient Are” is one of the few Epiphany carols that is popular enough to be played on the radio during the Christmas season. “We Three Kings” was written and composed by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in 1857. Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and he wrote the carol for a Christmas pageant at his alma mater of General Theological Seminary in New York City.