The epiphany of the epiphany

Reading this yesterday and this a few days ago kept me awake last night (or it could have been the cheese combined with the latest Sherlock episode). As the tamed cynic post emphasises, the Magi (the wise men described in Matthew 2) were off by nine miles. They went to Jerusalem the seat of power and wealth to look for the king predicted by the star as that is where they expected to find him - not a few miles down the road in dirt, poverty and ignominy. So many still expect to find Christ in the presence of the powerful, the well-off, the intellectually and culturally noble, the charismatic and the 'clean' whether that be in the guise of the priests dripping in gold,  the power ministers in their limousines, the cathedrals of learning, the charismatic preachers with loud music and huge crowds, or in the nice wholesome family image which in so many circles is presented as the epitome of Christianity - but is that where he is?

In the past few years, the most powerful sense of the presence of Christ that I have come across has been in a prison which predominantly incarcerates sex offenders - paedophiles who have become the 'lepers' of our century, the unclean and despised and yet who, in this group, were searching for Christ. This is purely subjective, I know, perhaps there are many finding Christ in the economical, moral, or aesthetic high spots and, if so, may they continue to do so. But, for those who are not, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place.

Image taken from here: http://www.crown-industrial.com/frames/Graphics/sallyport_sm.gif