Isaiah 60: 1-6; Psalm: 72 1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3: 1-12, Matthew 2; 1-12

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of king Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise emn from the East cam 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 be 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.

Today we have a chance to celebrate for a second time the birth of Jesus. The story of the searching of the magi, along with the Christmas story of the angels and shepherds, gives us one of the central images of this season. It is one of the stories that those of raised in the church tradition remembers from childhood. But this story of the “Epiphany” has a twist or two.

 

The dictionary gives us a couple relevant definitions of the word Epiphany. The first one is “an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity or God.” This is certainly, on a straight forward basis, what is described as happening all those centuries ago. The Jewish people had been anticipating the reappearance of God for their land and people for a long time. The birth of Jesus – into a material and political world - was the manifestation and answer to their prayers and dreams. The story Jesus birth in the lowly stable with the announcement of his birth to the shepherds by angels complete with additional presence of only the farm animals we heard on Christmas eve and Christmas day is the culmination of those hopes and prayers.

 

The dictionary, however gives us a second definition of Epiphany; “a sudden, intuitive perception or insight into the reality of the essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.” This is the definition of an “AH-HAH!” moment. We see this in popular culture, often in our cartoons where in one section a character is seen with their brows furrowed, obviously deep in thought then suddenly in the next scene a light bulb appears over their head.

 

This is the twist to Jesus birth. The “AH-HAH!” is immersed in the search and recognition of Jesus by the Magi – God’s physical presence in and for the rest of the world. The Magi were “wise men” who anticipated the birth and traveled out of their own comfortable, familiar world to find God.” (They were not Jewish and possibly did not even know of the anticipated arrival of the Messiah for the Jewish people.) In this way, the original epiphany began the spread of the awareness that God’s love was for everyone, throughout the entire world and throughout all time. This is different from the expectations of the Jewish people. This was something entirely new and totally unexpected.

The reaction of King Herod to the announcement by the Magi as they traveled thorough his court is often presented as evil and self serving. But lets look at his reaction without that preconception (without assigning motives to the King) but simply as a reaction to the shocking news that what had been held a Jewish wish, dream, or even a “fantasy” had become a physical reality. In this way, it would not be an unexpected initial reaction for Herod to protect his position and power among the nation. This encounter illuminates how fear can prevent any of us from seeing what might bring us closer to God and acting to follow in God’s pathway.

The idea of God becoming one of us is terrifying as it is wonderful.  If we overcome our own fears, however, the idea of God incarnate does capture our hearts and imaginations and invites us to a deeper involvement. I think though that this only happens if we embrace the unexpected, if we are open to allowing ourselves to recognize God in our daily lives and our individual experiences. Our Epiphany, our “AH-HAH” moments are real and physical. They are encounters with which we come in contact. They are like a “burning bush”, or a “still, small voice,” or “a baby in a manger”, or a hungry person, or a lonely soul seeking a few moments of safety and companionship.

Our encounters will not be exactly like those of the ancient or even recent saints. Our encounters will be a part of our daily life and will be significant mostly in our response to the event. Will we give in to our fears as Herod and many others and cling to the familiar, hold onto our safe center? Or will we be like Moses and the Magi seeking the knowledge and experience of God at the uncomfortable edges of life where growth can occur?

A couple weeks ago, the Sunday before Christmas, we heard Father Art Lillicropp speak about his growth experience when a mentor aided him to “listen” so he could hear the messages God was giving him. He spoke of growing up in an Italian household where “speaking” frequently and passionately was the norm. He was comfortable with the speaking and uncomfortable with the listening. But by practicing at the “uncomfortable edges” of his life he has grown. We have experienced that growth in his stories to us about his experiences as a chaplain at

Kaiser

. I have been moved by his ability to “hear and experience” God in each of those experiences.

My growth experiences have been quite different. My childhood was spent on a remote ranch in the northern sandhills of

Nebraska

. My natural tendency was always to explore either in the broad natural spaces where the meadowlarks sang and pine and cedar groves incensed the air, or immersed in a book. I often felt connections to nature, or God, or ideas that I was uncomfortable in expressing. My family and many of the farmers and ranchers of that area were and still are very frugal people, even with their words. My personal growth was jump started several years ago when Pastor Diana Lueckert encouraged me to learn to share my thoughts by speaking in front of the congregation.

Each of you has your natural tendencies and skills (gifts from God), But they must be shared and they must be allowed to grow by use in responding to your particular encounters with God in you life. Whether you are a scientist or a musician, a teacher or a bus driver, whether you are an artist of a business person; your skills and talents can grow if they are stretched and challenged. They can be used to make a change in our world; if you will move from the comfortable center of your being to the edges where growth can occur.

Jesus shined a light on the reality of the world and put a spotlight on injustices suffered by the poor, needy, and powerless of his time and of the present age. Jesus also gave us vision and hope for the unanticipated. Jesus gave us hope for peace, abundance, and a life free of violence, oppression, poverty and injustice. Isaiah, the psalmist, and Paul in his letter to the Ephesians all echo this search for God’s Kingdom and the unexpected nature of its creation.

Where is this hope today? Where is this unexpected encounter and opportunity to grow into the spiritual people we are called to be? This vision of a just world is expressed poetically and loudly in our modern language and we are called to respond to this encounter with God in the words of the Millennium Development Goals. These goals can be acted upon on individually in response to local as well as global needs:

        These goals parallel needs expressed in the most ancient of biblical writings and the experiences of people throughout all ages. We can reconcile ourselves to God and live out our lives as followers of Jesus by acting to:

        Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

        Achieve universal primary education.

        Promote gender equality and empower women.

        Reduce child mortality.

        Improve maternal health.

        Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

        Ensure environmental sustainability.

        Develop a global partnership for development.

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.” Isaiah also said, “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday….you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”

St Francis of Asissi expressed it this way in a familiar prayer:

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Rather then allowing fear to dampen our spirit or darken the day, we have an opportunity to see the light that is directing us toward God, and revealing God’s kingdom in the unexpected greatness of the results of our actions, and the beauty of Christ in each other.

Be the light of the world, do not let fear darken the day, respond to the physical presence of God in our world.

Amen