Holy Communion for Epiphany: celebrant the Revd Tola Badejo.
Junior Church takes place at the same time in the hall.

First reading: Ephesians 3. 1–12
Gospel: Matthew 2. 1–12

'The gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.' These words from the first reading underscore the symbolism of the Gospel. The visitors to the infant Christ, the shepherds and the Magi, represent extremes of education, learning, prosperity and social status, and the Magi clearly came from beyond the Jewish world, for in spite of their learning they were unaware of Hebrew prophecy. While the tradition that they were each from a different ethnic background is not founded upon the Gospel accounts, it fits perfectly with the message of inclusivity that the Gospels convey.

In Nicholas Poussin's seventeenth-century 'Adoration of the Magi' above, one of the Magi is African. The Magi's high status is reflected only in hints such as the armed guards or the impressive retinue in the distance; they have left any symbols of rank behind, and their attitude is shown as one of unfeigned submission and worship. Poussin's setting of the scene amongst classical ruins rather than in an actual stable may be more than an aspect of contemporary convention; he could well have intended to contrast the transient power of worldly empires with the enduring but very different authority of Christ's kingdom.