The Feast of the Epiphany Jan 3, 2016
“Arise, shine for the light of Christ and the glory of the Lord has come upon you”. This is probably one of my favorite pieces of Isaiah, and it really is the theme of Epiphany. In the reading from Isaiah, we have the expression of deep joy by the prophet in the midst of the Babylonian captivity; there is an eagerness to return home, to overcome the enemy, to once again experience the love of God. And so Isaiah tells the people essentially, “rise and shine, the day of God’s glory is here”. This is a wonderful revelation of good news. And the prophet doesn’t stop there! Not only has the day of God’s glory arrived, but people will be reunited, sons and daughters will return home, the sea will provide a bounty, and many nations will come together. Rise and shine indeed! The prophet is reminding the listener that God is grabbing hold of things and that everything is about to change…this is what an epiphany, or a revelation, is about! In the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we are given the account of the visit of the wise-men…the revelation of God to the Gentiles. And while this is important because it lays the groundwork of all future revelations to “outsiders”, what I find so wonderful about this text is that it reminds us of God’s universal love for everyone. Commentators and scholars have a lot to say about traditional understandings of the visit of the magis and their gifts. The magi are representative of three non-Jewish cultures, and therefore serve as a symbolic representation of God’s revelation to the Gentiles. The gift of gold is a gift one would present to a king; the gift of frankincense is a gift one would present to a divinity…so these two gifts are symbolic of the combined nature of Jesus—both human and divine. And the gift of myrrh is a burial gift, foreshadowing the death of Jesus. These are wonderful and symbolic understandings of the magi and their gifts…if we want to keep them safely tucked away in our nativity scenes and children’s plays. And as great as the gifts of the magi were—I mean who wouldn’t want gold, frankincense and myrrh—these gifts are never as great as the gift of the Incarnation, Emmanuel, God with us. No gift that magi, or we, ever present will be equal to or surpass God’s love. And here’s the good news... God isn’t keeping score on the value or worthiness of our gifts, because really what we offer, we should offer with our whole heart…is love in return. God’s gift of the Incarnation teaches us about generosity and the power to give to others out of love. That’s the revelation…that’s the epiphany. A few years ago Epiphany fell on a Friday. Some of us gathered together for dinner and an evening service of prayer and reflection. Part of our worship included putting candles around the creche as symbols of the gifts we have to offer God. This morning I’m going to invite us to do something similar. When you came in this morning, you were given a blank note card. If you didn’t get one, please raise your hand and an usher will bring you one. If you have a pen or pencil handy, that’s great. If you don’t, raise your hand and the usher will bring you one. You may need to share with your neighbor and that’s ok...it’s a good practice to share with one another. On your notecard, I’d like you to write down what it is that you are giving to the world, to the community, to your friends and family, to a stranger...whoever comes to mind...what gift are you giving because you have been the recipient of God’s gift of love and forgiveness? Or another way to think about this is, what gift have you been given that you want to share with others. Once you have that written down, we’ll pass a basket around during announcements and have your gifts brought up to the altar. So let’s take a moment and write down our gifts and then we’ll pray. Let us pray, Holy one of light, unchanging God, today you reveal to people of faith the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh. Your light is strong, Your love is near; draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes, to the life where Your Spirit makes all life complete. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. adapted from New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal
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AuthorI don't know what the future of the church is, but I know that we will continue to be a place of sanctuary and hope, working towards healing in the world. Archives
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