Epiphany of the Lord
January 5, 2020
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Spiritual Affective Disorder[1]
In 1984, Dr. Norman Rosenthal and his associates at the
National Institute of Mental Health published a paper on their research into
what is now called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Dr. Rosenthal noticed
that he was much more depressed during the winter after moving from South
Africa, where it was mostly sunny, even during the winter, to New York, where winters
are mostly cloudy. His study on light therapy found that the reduction in
natural light did, in fact, make a difference. While initially greeted with
skepticism, SAD is now widely accepted and Dr. Rosenthal’s book called “Winter
Blues,” first published in 1993, is now in its fourth edition. How many of you
suffer from SAD or know someone who does? It only has about a 1% rate in
Florida, but about 9% of the population in New England has it. The National
Institute of Mental Health lists four main treatments for it: vitamin D,
psychotherapy, medication, and the light boxes that were part of Dr.
Rosenthal’s original study. The basic idea is that you need more light. So,
it’s a good thing, that here in the bleak midwinter, the light of the world was
born just 12 days ago.
Isaiah 60 is part of what’s called Third Isaiah, which
covers chapter 56 through the end of the book, chapter 66. It dates to the 6th
century BC, when the exiles in Babylon were allowed to return to Jerusalem. There
was some conflict between those who had never left and those who now returned.
Living conditions were difficult. Jerusalem was in ruins. God’s people were no
longer fighting against a common enemy but amongst themselves. The first couple
chapters of Third Isaiah have to do with gloom, despair, calls to repentance,
and yet also, a yearning for light. In Isaiah 59, the chapter before the one we
read this morning, it says, “We look for light, but all is darkness; for
brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the
wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it
were twilight.” Then the chapter ends with God’s response. Thus says the Lord,
“As for me, this is my covenant with [my people]. My Spirit, who is on you,
will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will
always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their
descendants—from this time on and forever.” It practically echoes Psalm 119,
the basis for our threshold song this morning, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. When I feel afraid, think I've lost my way, still
you're there right beside me.” That’s what God’s promising. “My Spirit will not
depart from you. My words will always be on your lips.” Then, turn the page,
chapter 60, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord
rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the
peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations
will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Boom! We
look for light but we can’t find it. Sounds a bit like depression or Seasonal
Affective Disorder, doesn’t it? The Lord promises “My Spirit and my words will
always be with you.” And then it’s time to arise and shine, for your light has
come.
Now, we usually celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost, the birthday of the church, after Jesus’s death, resurrection,
and ascension. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Yet here, six
centuries earlier, the Lord is also promising that the Spirit is with us and will
always be with us. We know the Holy Spirit has always been around, since
Genesis 1, when the earth was a formless void and Spirit hovered over the
waters. The third person of the Trinity has always been around. Yet God promises
the Holy Spirit here, in Isaiah 60. God makes it part of the covenant with the
people who are returning to Jerusalem and with those who never left. We’ll talk
more about the Holy Spirit next week when we celebrate Jesus’ baptism and
remember our own. But for now, know and trust that God’s Spirit will never
leave you and is active and moving still today.
God says that God’s words won’t ever leave us, either.
What is the word for today? “Arise and shine, for your light has come.” It reminds me of that song I learned as a kid,
“Rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory. Rise and shine, and give God
the glory, glory. Rise! And shine! And, give God the glory, children of the
Lord.” Anyone else know that one? Now, there are times when we don’t feel like
rising and shining. There are times when we’re not in the mood to give God the
glory, we’d rather give God a piece of our minds instead. There are times when,
rather than Seasonal Affective Disorder, we have Spiritual Affective Disorder.
It’s like somebody forgot to turn on the lights in your spiritual life. Or
maybe the music is missing. It feels hard to get up and go. We lead lives that
are too crowded, busy, overcommitted, sometimes disturbing and uncertain. We
find ourselves disconnected from God, living in the darkness of chaos and
uncertainty. It may be from the news just in the last four days: wildfires
burning in Australia, escalating conflict in Iran, a potential split in our
denomination, a family who lost their little two year old boy. Things can feel
heavy and out of our control, causing us to feel depressed spiritually. Why
should we bother rising and shining?
Well, those wise men certainly rose and shined when their
light came. They studied the skies; they knew all the stars and their
rotations. And then came a special star, one that wasn’t like the other ones. A
star that compelled them to pack up their bags and follow it. The tug they had
been waiting for all their lives. It came! Their light came and they arose and
shone. They brought gifts from their home countries, strange gifts to be sure,
but gifts to honor a king. They were
paying attention, they saw the star when it arose, and they knew they had to
follow that star with royal beauty bright, so that they might go worship the
king who had been born, so that they might go worship Jesus, who is the light
of the world.
“Arise and shine for your light has come.” This is true
for you as well. Your light has come and it is time to rise and shine. It is
time to throw off whatever spiritual doldrums you may have found yourself in. These
next few weeks we’re going to look at spiritual practices to get us out of the
mid-winter blues and into the light of our lives. We know the treatments for
Seasonal Affective Disorder. Let’s work on treatment for Spiritual Affective
Disorder. Let’s see how experiencing the everyday activities of our lives as
blessing, as filled with God’s offer of radiance, can offer us a chance to be
filled with the Light in whom we believe. This first week we affirm that the
very act of “arising” each day is a gift from God. This might look like a
prayer when you first wake up – “Thank you, Lord, for waking me up! Thank you
for another day!” This might look like speaking up in situations when you
normally would rather keep the peace no matter the cost. This might look like
sharing your faith with someone who hasn’t heard the story of why you follow
Jesus. In case you hadn’t noticed, arising and shining takes courage. But we can do these things because our light
has come. Jesus, the Light of the world, has come. As we begin this new year,
you are invited to open up to the light of God's love and grace. Light therapy
isn’t just for Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s also for Spiritual Affective
Disorder. We need more light. We need more Jesus. Seek him out. Search for him,
just like the wise men. Because you know what? Unlike the returned exiles in
Isaiah 59, when you search for this light, you will find him.
Let
us pray: Giver of Light, You shine a radiant joy into the darkness of life.
Open my heart to the
brightness of your glory, that I may find the light of your love in all I do.
Amen.
[1] Idea
for Spiritual Affective Disorder as well as a few other pieces of this sermon
came from Worship Design Studio’s worship series, “SAD: Spiritual Affective
Disorder”
No comments:
Post a Comment