Epiphany 1 Eternal Purpose

A simple story: foreign wisemen come to worship the King of the Jews.  But wait, these men (so Matthew tells us) are not part of Israel.  They can't claim Abraham as their ancestor.  In this simple story, the eternal purpose of God in calling Israel is made clear: God promised Abraham that through his descendants all nations and peoples would be blessed.  And here in this simple story God makes good on his promise.  This is indeed good news as God wraps his arms around all people who come to him in faith.