Light for a Different Path

Lynn Miller Jackson

Epiphany • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Isaiah 60:1-4 ~60 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you;…

The Isaiah’s prophetic words brought hope to the Israelites in exile and foreshadow the birth of Christ and its meaning to people around the world. Our Gospel reading fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy and others. Listen to the Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12.

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘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.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

In the Meaning of Revelation, theologian H. Richard Niebuhr compares revelation to a moment when we read a ‘difficult book, seeking to follow a complicated argument, and we come across a luminous sentence from which we can go forward and backward and so attain some understanding of the whole.” That is, a luminous sentence sheds light on a new path of understanding.

Scripture can serve as luminous sentences that shed light on a new path of understanding. If we remain open, even familiar stories like the visit of the wise men can inspire new thoughts and clarity—epiphanies that allow us to connect the truth of our past to the conditions of our present and to discern a better way forward.

Isaiah spoke to the ancient Israelites after the fall of Israel and Judah when the Israelite people were exiled from their lands; their Temple had been destroyed and their leadership conquered by foreign powers. Isaiah relays joyful news from King Cyrus of Persia that God’s people could return to their promised land.

The glory of the Lord had risen upon the people. But something was different about their return to the land.

The light that had come was not for Israel alone. Others would be drawn to the light.

verse 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

This is a luminous sentence for those who would listen.

The God of Israel was bringing light for the world.

Through the covenant with Abraham, God promised to bless all the families of the earth through the descendants of Abraham. God is fulfilling the covenant promise.

The God of Israel is the God of all humanity; not a chosen few.

So, God, who has universal reign, will draw the sons and daughters of Israel and the sons and daughters of the rest of the world with the Light of Israel, which is Christ.

The ancient people likely envisioned their former rivals and oppressors kneeling before them and paying tribute in a turn of the tables. But God had a more radical plan.

As we turn to the Gospel, we see this more radical plan unfold. Matthew draws on the imagery of Isaiah in the visit of the wise men from the East.

The wise men, also translated ‘magi’, may be seen as spiritual seekers. Today, we might say they were among the spiritual not religious. They were not of the Jewish tradition but studied the stars.

The rising of a certain star held their attention and led them into a foreign territory seeking the child born to be king of the Jews.

Arriving in Bethlehem, they inquired about where to find the child.

Their arrival signals fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy in the Temple, “…this child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed..”.

When King Herod heard why the wise men had come, he and all Jerusalem were frightened.

These stargazing immigrants from a far likely spoke with accents and dressed according to their culture or region.

Matthew gives credence to the wise men’s alternative approach to finding Christ by honoring the integrity of their purpose. Rather than challenge the wise men, the Jewish scholars are called to confirm their quest.

The insiders, Jews in Jerusalem the center of Jewish power, were being informed by outsiders that a new king had been born.

So, God continues to use the unexpected to deliver the good news.

Some will accept the news, others will reject it like Herod.

A new king threatened Herod’s power and position and that of his heirs.

Furthermore, if these wise men knew about the birth, Rome might also get word and unseat Herod.

The fearful, conniving king plots his murderous mischief and sends the wise men on to find the child with duplicitous instructions to return with news of the child’s location so he could go and pay homage as well.

The wise men continued their quest and find the child.

11 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.

Here, Christ is revealed to the first Gentiles. Their joy and receiving Christ is revelation that Christ is for the Jews and Gentiles.

These wise men were not devout Jews. But they were on a quest to encounter and honor this new child king. They put their full energy into it.

How does this inform us?

On any given day of worship, among the gathering will be those who are more spiritual than religious, those who are seekers rather than scholars. But many among the spiritual or seekers may be more able to kneel before the manger than those for whom worship attendance has become rote.

There is an intentional submission and seekers heart required to faithfully bend before God. As Stephen Bauman puts it in Feasting on the Word, “Not every committed Christian in name has a taste for actually kneeling in the dust and muck of a barn in a backwater town with astonished recognition that this is where God prefers to make an entrance.”

When I was in seminary, I served at the UM Children’s Home in Georgia with mothers and children who had endured trauma.

I recall a 3-year-olds who could wield expletives as well as a sippy cup. The language was part of the dust in the barn of abuses, the muck of young lives mired in mistreatment and misbehavior that erupted from multilayered pain.

In the midst of the messiness and mayhem, God was present as innocence peaked through and love smiled.

As abused mothers felt heard and edified, Jesus was with us and their souls felt their worth!

Such are the places and conditions where we will find Christ at work. Finding the real, earthy Christ requires openness to the epiphanies of God in unexpected places with unknown people.

That in the Christ Child, we see “wisdom in infancy, and strength in weakness, and the Lord of majesty in the reality of a man.”

We see the dynamic, living layers of God when we follow the Light and listen for God.

Anyone who pursues Christ can find their way to the manger.

How is God leading you to rediscover the manger?

How is God inviting you to share the light of Christ in the world?

The gift of Christ to the world demonstrates the radical hospitality of God!

Did you know that Epiphany

The is the first Sunday of Epiphany, a season often overlooked but significant in the Christian year. Until I began to study theology, I knew nothing about the day or season of Epiphany. Last year while in PR, I learned that el Dia de Reyes is a huge celebration across the whole island, even bigger than Christmas day.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Our role is to reflect the love of God, the hospitality of God.

Epiphany reveals that even in his infancy, Christ is for all people- indigenous and immigrant, insiders and outsiders; whether spiritual or religious; not restricted by national origin or ethnicity; language or dialect; irrespective of gender spectrum or sexuality, social or economic status, or power and privilege.