Epiphany of the Lord
January 7, 2018
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Matthew 2:1-12
I only received one book for Christmas this year. My
husband said it’s because it was the only non-church book on my list. Well… not
intentionally, but it’s becoming a church book, because it’s a good
illustration of how a journey can change your life. This book isn’t about a
journey to a geographic destination; it’s about a journey with a disease. The
author, Andrea Avery, has rheumatoid arthritis, just like me, and she published
a memoir about her journey with it.[1]
While her journey is different than mine, I identified with much of what she
had to say about life with this disease. For both of us, developing rheumatoid
arthritis changed the trajectory of our lives. Y’all know that for me, God used
it to direct me to leave serving him in Nicaragua and go to seminary, to serve
him in his church. Andrea was a pianist, was extremely talented, and probably
could have become professional, except her RA showed up when she was 12 years
old. She pushed through, played for all her high school’s musicals, went to
college as a music performance major, changed to music composition, and
graduated with a B.A. in music. Andrea doesn’t play the piano very often
anymore. And instead of composing with musical notes, she now composes with
words, having become a writer and a speaker. The journey of how she got there
is what her memoir is about.
Today is Epiphany Sunday. We have finished the twelve
days of Christmas and are up to when the magi come to visit baby Jesus. They,
likewise, went through a long journey from Persia to Bethlehem, by way of
Jerusalem. And when they left to return home, they were changed, marked by the
journey and the encounter with Jesus, and went home different than how they had
come. There’s a saying that “God loves us just the way we are and yet loves us
too much to leave us the way we are.” Basically, every encounter with the
living God changes you, has some effect on you. That includes the wise men.
Their journey began when they observed a new star at its
birth and they knew it meant the birth of a new king. And not only that, but
they felt compelled then to travel to go pay homage to this new king. That must
have been a very strong conviction because it’s 9,187 miles from Persia to
Bethlehem. Camels aren’t mentioned in Scripture yet the common assumption is
that they rode camels for this trip. Camels can walk 80-120 miles a day, if you
round that to 100 miles a day, it would take 91 days, or about 3 months to do the
trip. Yet we know they brought gifts and presumably they would have also packed
some food and change of clothes. Arabian baggage camels carry up to 441 pounds
and walk 40 miles a day. At that rate the trip would take 230 days, or about 7
½ months to complete. Either way, this would not have been the easiest trip to
make, months long, through the desert, on camels. I imagine they must have been
hopeful and optimistic and a little bit stubborn to be able to stay the course
for that long of a trip to a foreign land to see a foreign king and not give
up. The first verse in our Isaiah passage says, “Arise, shine; for your light
has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”[2]
Something about this light, something about this star, was compelling enough
for them to leave their homes, pack gifts, and go see this new light. Somehow
this light captivated them and they couldn’t shake it until they went and saw
what it was. Just like the disciple Philip invited Nathaniel to “come and see”
Jesus,[3]
the star also invited the wise men to come and see. Now, Nathaniel didn’t have
as far to go physically, Jesus was in the same town. But the star’s invitation
managed to convince them to take on this long, arduous trip to go see.
For some reason, the magi stopped in Jerusalem. This may
have purely customary and out of respect to King Herod. They were foreign
dignitaries in a strange land, it would make sense to check in with the local
authorities. But Scripture doesn’t say that the star stopped there. The star
“stopped over the place where the child was.”[4]
The wise men had at least arrived at the end of their pilgrimage. We’re told
that they were overjoyed, overwhelmed with joy, at this point.[5]
They had finally reached the new king. Their excitement level was high. And
they entered the house, saw Jesus and Mary, and knelt down and worshiped Jesus.
The first thing they did was worship. They were at the end of their trip, and
the first thing they did was worship Jesus. Only then, after that, they “opened their treasure chests, [and] offered him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”[6]
What interesting gifts, and how could they have known? Gold, of course, for a
king. Frankincense, though, was used by priests. How could they have known
Jesus is the great high priest? And myrrh, used in burial. Foreshadowing Jesus’
death. How on earth could they have known that? For that matter, did they know
they were fulfilling Hebrew Scripture? The last verse of the Isaiah passage
talked about people coming from other countries, “bringing gold and
frankincense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.”[7]
In our psalm this morning we read about other kings from faraway rendering
tribute and bringing gifts.[8]
The wise men, the magi, are also called the three kings. Did they know they
were fulfilling ancient prophecy?
And did the wise men know how much this journey would
change them? “They returned to their country by another route.”[9]
Yes, this is because the magi were warned in a dream not to go back to King
Herod, and obey King Herod’s request to report back. Yet they must have also
gone home different inside. The kings had completed this pilgrimage. They had
found a star unlike any other and were convicted to follow it and worship and
bring presents to the new king. Life is never the same for those who have met
Christ. “You don’t take the old road any longer. You unfold a new map, and
discover an alternate path.”[10]
This is because “your light has come” and you don’t live in the light the same
way you live in the darkness.
An
epiphany is an “aha” moment, it’s when you gain sudden insight into something,
usually as a result of some ordinary, everyday thing. Light is a pretty
ordinary thing. It was the very first thing God created on the first day. “God
saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God
called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’”[11]
That was a whole day’s work: creating light, seeing that it’s good, separating
it from darkness, and naming the light and the darkness.
At
our Longest Night service we sang hymn 206, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the
Light.” Ephesians 5 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in
the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all
goodness, righteousness and truth).”[12]
If we live in the light, then that is what we produce, things that are good and
righteous and true. We don’t perpetuate injustice and oppression. We don’t give
consent, verbal or silent, to lies. Those things belong to darkness. But we
have met Jesus.
In 1
Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “since we belong to the day, let us be sober,
putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a
helmet.”[13]
Faith and love as a breastplate, right here, in front, visible to others. Your
faith and your love should be visible and obvious to others. And the hope of
salvation guards our heads. Therefore, Paul wrote, “encourage one another and
build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”[14]
You are already doing these things. Sometimes we just need reminding, because
the journey can be long and a return to the darkness where things are familiar
can be tempting.
That’s the thing about “your light has come.” It changes things.
It changes the trajectory of your life as it affects how you use your time,
your finances, even what words you say. Everything changes because you choose
to follow Jesus. Life in the light is a life of change, because growth is
change and light causes growth and promotes health.
A list of life-changing events usually includes things
like marriage and children. It doesn’t usually include things like disease or
even some smaller decisions that can play a large role. My husband and I are
fans of the BBC television show, “Doctor Who.” There was an episode a while
back that explored what if the Doctor hadn’t met his new companion, Donna.
Donna was on her way to a new job and she had two choices. At an intersection,
Donna can turn left to go to a well-paid temp position, or she can turn right to
take a job at her mom’s friend's business. Previously, Donna turned left and
met the Doctor, never making it to the temp position, and saving the Doctor’s
life. In this other episode, Donna turned right, took the other job, and London
was destroyed because the Doctor wasn’t there to save the city because Donna
wasn’t there to save the Doctor. That small choice changed the trajectory of
Donna’s life. Sometimes we get to choose the things that change our lives,
sometimes we don’t. Yet through all of life, through the choices we make and
the choices that are made for us, we keep following the star that is Jesus.
There’s something about that name that is compelling and convicting and so we
keep going.
Charles Albert Tindley was a janitor turned pastor at his
home church in Philadelphia. Several of his hymns are in our hymnals, including
one called “Beams of Heaven as I Go.”:[15]
Beams
of heaven as I go, through this wilderness below,
guide
my feet in peaceful ways, turn my midnights into days.
When
in the darkness I would grope, Faith always sees a star of hope,
and
soon from all life’s grief and danger, I shall be free some day.
I do
not know how long ’twill be, nor what the future holds for me,
but
this I know: if Jesus leads me, I shall get home someday.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] Sonata: A Memoir of Pain and the Piano
by Andrea Avery
[2]
Isaiah 60:1
[3]
John 1:46
[4]
Matthew 2:9
[5]
Matthew 2:10
[6]
Matthew 2:11b
[7]
Isaiah 60:6
[8]
Psalm 72:10
[9]
Matthew 2:12
[10] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 1,
p. 216
[11]
Genesis 1:4-5a
[12]
Ephesians 5:8-9
[13] 1
Thessalonians 5:8
[14] 1
Thessalonians 5:11
[15]
UMH 524
No comments:
Post a Comment