At this dark time of the year, just as the days are almost imperceptibly beginning to lengthen, we have a set of readings with the focus on light. Epiphany itself is a festival when we think of God revealing himself to humans, shedding his light into their world. There are the words of prophet and psalmist foretelling the royal splendour of the Messiah, of kings coming to the brightness of his dawn (Isaiah 60:3), of the light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6) and the contrast between the spiritual darkness of the nations, and the coming light of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:2). Finally, there is the dawning of realisation when individuals recognised in Jesus the longed-for Christ (John 1:41; Matthew 4:18-22).
