SHINE YOUR LIGHT!

A Sermon for Epiphany
January 6, 2008
Pastor Laura Gentry

Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.(NRSV)

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We have just celebrated the birth of the Christ child—of God becoming flesh to live with us, to love us and to save us. We’ve delighted in the joy of Christ being born in us today, making Christmas an ever-unfolding miracle.

And now we move on to the next liturgical season: Epiphany. In fact, today is the festival of Epiphany and rarely does it fall on a Sunday. So this is an exciting day for us to celebrate Epiphany together ON Epiphany. But what, you ask, is Epiphany anyway? It is not one of those church seasons like Christmas or Easter that everybody knows about.

An epiphany is a moment of sudden revelation, an “aha” experience. Today, we hear the story of the magi following the light of the star to find the infant Jesus. They are religions advisors who have come from the East—the area of today’s Iran and Iraq—and been on a very very long journey, perhaps giving them a rather nasty case of camel sickness. And there aren’t necessarily three of them like the “We Three Kings” songs declares. There are three different kinds of gifts, yes, but the gospel of Matthew never specifies how many magi there were. And they are not Jewish people, but Gentiles who have heard the good news of the one true God. After overcoming all of the obstacles in their path, the magi see the glory of the child for themselves. It must have been an awesome encounter with the living God in human form, shining even brighter than the star that had lead them to his side.

Beginning in the 3rd century, the Eastern orthodox church celebrated this story as a church feast, to honor the visit of the Magi as well as the baptism of Jesus. Light of the star and water of baptism—these became the guiding symbols to move us deeper into the mystery of these ancient stories.

Light—this is a powerful symbol, especially this time of year. Notice how this season is placed right here after the winter solstice. At last, here in the deep of dark winter, when the sun has it’s lowest arc in the sky, the days are getting longer. Yes, bit by bit, each day grows longer—by about 2 minutes. It is barely perceptible, but yet the sunlight is dawning upon our frozen landscape. The sun’s light is the source of all life upon our planet. Similarly, the Son of God shines a spiritual light upon our world of dark and sin. And so this symbol is most poignant during the time of year when physical light is so precious and we look eagerly forward to more and more light.

Water—this is another powerful symbol. Our bodies are about 70% water. Even our bones are 50% water. It is the lifeline for our physical existence. We need water because we are water. Water is a symbol that figures prominently throughout the holy scriptures. Consider the prayer we hear each time there is a baptism, which mentions various stories of water as symbol of life, cleansing and rebirth. And again, this symbol is powerful this time of year—at least for those of us in a wintery climate—because much of the water is frozen and we await the time when the rivers and streams will flow freely again.

Now back to the story of the magi. They have followed the beacon of light to meet with the baby king. And when they arrive, they open their travel gear and produce amazing gifts to present the holy family: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Expensive gifts, indeed, but they cannot compare with the gift that God has given to them, and to us: the Savior.

Furthermore, it says that they came with a bit of fear and trepidation. They have met with Herod on their way through Jerusalem and he has really shaken them up. The wise men always look so serene in the nativity sets but they were people just like you and me with issues and fears to overcome in their journey to Jesus. Yet they made it and brought him their finest gifts.

They are a great inspiration to us as we look upon this story today. They can help us to consider all kinds of faith questions on this Epiphany celebration.

How does God shine forth divine glory to us in our present time? As Christians we believe that God’s revelation is ongoing. It didn’t stop when the Bible cannon was solidified. It didn’t stop when Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit is very much alive and with us, guiding us, inspiring us and giving us God’s infinite wisdom. So what is it that the Spirit is trying to get through to us today?

Are we open, as the magi were, to receive this revelation? Since we know that the Spirit is speaking, we must be eagerly listening. Are we doing this? Do we actually want to hear what God wants for us and for our world and are we willing to respond in the way we ought?

Jesus has shined the spotlight on all the injustices of our world. He announces God’s long-plotted plan for peace—for a world with equality and justice for all with no violence, oppression, poverty or injustice of any kind. That’s a daunting vision. Are we embracing it and working to bring it into reality? We, no doubt, have fears like the magi did.

The prophet Isaiah calls us to “Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. … Lift up your eyes and look around.” We must consider what that means for our daily lives.

We don’t have to let fear or apathy win the day. The glory of the Lord has risen upon us! We are bearers of God’s marvelous light. We have opportunity to shine the light, to be lights burning brightly in the darkness.

As baptized children of God, we are fully capable of doing so. Through water and the word, we have been claimed as God’s own children, forgiven, promised eternal life and given the daily strength and wisdom to shine God’s light.

Now, may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

© 2008 Laura E. Gentry