January 8, 2006 Darkness and Light
DARKNESS AND LIGHT
Sermon for January 8th (Epiphany), 2006
Scripture: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ps. 72:1-7, 10-17; Mt. 2:1-12
Welcome to the Feast of the Epiphany! Just in case some of you don’t know what epiphany means let me give you a few definitions: a revealing of the presence of God, or from Webster’s dictionary: manifestation or appearance, or for a more religious one: the light of God radiating outward and inward. For the church, Epiphany is the 12th and last day of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the Three Wise Men following the light of the star to find the King of the Jews.
I thought it would be a good start to this new year to come up with a couple of jokes about light and darkness. The closest I could find were some religious light bulb jokes. You may have heard them before, but here goes:
How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad.
How many liberals does it take to change a light Bulb? At least ten, as they need to hold a debate on whether or not the light bulb exists. Even if they can agree upon the existence of the light bulb they still may not change it to keep from alienating those who might use other forms of light.
How many TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb? One. but for the message of light to continue, send in your donation today.
Okay, enough of this frivolity, let’s look at what is the significance of the Epiphany for us today. The Christmas season has two parts: the nativity, which we have been focusing on the last couple of weeks, and the epiphany. In the nativity we celebrate the humble entrance of God into human life in the form of baby Jesus. In the epiphany we commemorate the birth of Jesus by manifesting it to the whole world. The Wise Men were not Jews but Gentiles; they were rich, not poor; they were from another country--foreigners. For me the wise men are the symbol that the church, the Christian faith is for everyone. At the time of Jesus’ birth, remember the Gentile was definitely the outsider. Also remember that the wise men were astrologers, not a vocation that was highly valued by the religious Jew. So for me the Feast of the Epiphany is special as it reminds us that Jesus came as a light to all people and that any categorical exclusion based on things such as race, class, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or even religion is simply wrong, It makes a mockery of the Good News of Jesus Christ, born in the manger, a light for all.
Isaiah predicts that the light has come; that the darkness that has covered the earth will vanish as the Lord will arise among us. He predicts that those from other nations will travel on camels and bring gifts of gold and frankincense and proclaim the praise of the Lord. And the Wise Men from the East, we really don’t know how many there were, did come bearing gifts. Some say that we give gifts at Christmas based on their bringing gifts to the Christ child. For me these men, willing to travel great distances on a rumor that a King was born, represent people that want to know the truth of God, who want to see for themselves the incarnation. And at the same time they represent my own feeling of thankfulness that God chose to come and live among us. It reminds me that this incarnation is indeed a gift to me and to you, a gift that makes me want to bring the light, the good news to others; that makes me want to follow Jesus. Because these foreigners/strangers searched the heavens for a sign, we are here now and know that the light can drive away all darkness.
It wasn’t hard in the day of Roman rule to see the darkness; and it certainly isn’t hard to see the darkness today. We see it in all forms of undeserved suffering, in wars, in genocide, in corruption of governments, in the church itself. Just as baby Jesus represented the innocence in an evil time represented by Herod, the Wise Men represent those who have the hope and the determination to not succumb to the evil, as they returned home by another route, never responding as asked by Herod about where the child was to be found.
During Advent and Christmas you often heard me talk about allowing the Christ Child to be born in your heart. If you have received that “gift”, and desire to follow the light of God, what’s next? Reflecting on the long journey the wise men made, not knowing where they were going to end up or how long the trip would last, I’m struck by how following the light of God is a similar journey of faith. We do not know where our journey may lead us or what we will find along the way. I believe that wherever the journey takes you, that God is with you, goes before you just like the star and that the trip will not be in vain. It may not be easy, but if you follow your star you will bring the light of Jesus to others in a way that is your own special gift. Your gifts are the sum total of all the resources that God has given you: talents, aptitudes, family, past experiences, qualities that you have developed as well as those that were more of the genetic type—God has a hand in all of these things. Sisters and brothers, you are the light of the world. Don’t forget that God’s grace gives us things and abilities that by ourselves we could never have. In our prayers and in our daily living, it is up to us to be open to where we can shine the light. Evelyn Underhill, a Christian mystic, talks about how the light of the Spirit will unfold gently and steadily within us, “till at last our final stature, all God designed for us, is attained.” She describes this process as a continuous divine action and cautions that we should not be impatient nor settled down. “A great flexibility, a gentle acceptance of what comes to us and a still gentler acceptance of the fact that much we see in others is still our of our reach. We must keep our prayer free, youthful—full of confidence and full of initiative too.”[1]
I pray that each of you will face this new year with a commitment to follow the light, to share your gifts, to illumine the darkness. As we go forward into our Holy Communion, may we remember that our gifts have the greatest meaning when they are taken, blessed, broken, and shared with others. Eucharist, the Roman Catholic word for Communion means Thanksgiving. There is great mystery in Christianity. We are asked to be faithful to something we cannot fully understand. In thanksgiving for the gifts we have and will receive, may you go forth with hope and love. God bless you now and always. Amen.
[1] “The Light of the World” in WATCH FOR THE LIGHT, Plough Publishing House, 2001, p.177.
Sermon for January 8th (Epiphany), 2006
Scripture: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ps. 72:1-7, 10-17; Mt. 2:1-12
Welcome to the Feast of the Epiphany! Just in case some of you don’t know what epiphany means let me give you a few definitions: a revealing of the presence of God, or from Webster’s dictionary: manifestation or appearance, or for a more religious one: the light of God radiating outward and inward. For the church, Epiphany is the 12th and last day of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the Three Wise Men following the light of the star to find the King of the Jews.
I thought it would be a good start to this new year to come up with a couple of jokes about light and darkness. The closest I could find were some religious light bulb jokes. You may have heard them before, but here goes:
How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad.
How many liberals does it take to change a light Bulb? At least ten, as they need to hold a debate on whether or not the light bulb exists. Even if they can agree upon the existence of the light bulb they still may not change it to keep from alienating those who might use other forms of light.
How many TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb? One. but for the message of light to continue, send in your donation today.
Okay, enough of this frivolity, let’s look at what is the significance of the Epiphany for us today. The Christmas season has two parts: the nativity, which we have been focusing on the last couple of weeks, and the epiphany. In the nativity we celebrate the humble entrance of God into human life in the form of baby Jesus. In the epiphany we commemorate the birth of Jesus by manifesting it to the whole world. The Wise Men were not Jews but Gentiles; they were rich, not poor; they were from another country--foreigners. For me the wise men are the symbol that the church, the Christian faith is for everyone. At the time of Jesus’ birth, remember the Gentile was definitely the outsider. Also remember that the wise men were astrologers, not a vocation that was highly valued by the religious Jew. So for me the Feast of the Epiphany is special as it reminds us that Jesus came as a light to all people and that any categorical exclusion based on things such as race, class, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or even religion is simply wrong, It makes a mockery of the Good News of Jesus Christ, born in the manger, a light for all.
Isaiah predicts that the light has come; that the darkness that has covered the earth will vanish as the Lord will arise among us. He predicts that those from other nations will travel on camels and bring gifts of gold and frankincense and proclaim the praise of the Lord. And the Wise Men from the East, we really don’t know how many there were, did come bearing gifts. Some say that we give gifts at Christmas based on their bringing gifts to the Christ child. For me these men, willing to travel great distances on a rumor that a King was born, represent people that want to know the truth of God, who want to see for themselves the incarnation. And at the same time they represent my own feeling of thankfulness that God chose to come and live among us. It reminds me that this incarnation is indeed a gift to me and to you, a gift that makes me want to bring the light, the good news to others; that makes me want to follow Jesus. Because these foreigners/strangers searched the heavens for a sign, we are here now and know that the light can drive away all darkness.
It wasn’t hard in the day of Roman rule to see the darkness; and it certainly isn’t hard to see the darkness today. We see it in all forms of undeserved suffering, in wars, in genocide, in corruption of governments, in the church itself. Just as baby Jesus represented the innocence in an evil time represented by Herod, the Wise Men represent those who have the hope and the determination to not succumb to the evil, as they returned home by another route, never responding as asked by Herod about where the child was to be found.
During Advent and Christmas you often heard me talk about allowing the Christ Child to be born in your heart. If you have received that “gift”, and desire to follow the light of God, what’s next? Reflecting on the long journey the wise men made, not knowing where they were going to end up or how long the trip would last, I’m struck by how following the light of God is a similar journey of faith. We do not know where our journey may lead us or what we will find along the way. I believe that wherever the journey takes you, that God is with you, goes before you just like the star and that the trip will not be in vain. It may not be easy, but if you follow your star you will bring the light of Jesus to others in a way that is your own special gift. Your gifts are the sum total of all the resources that God has given you: talents, aptitudes, family, past experiences, qualities that you have developed as well as those that were more of the genetic type—God has a hand in all of these things. Sisters and brothers, you are the light of the world. Don’t forget that God’s grace gives us things and abilities that by ourselves we could never have. In our prayers and in our daily living, it is up to us to be open to where we can shine the light. Evelyn Underhill, a Christian mystic, talks about how the light of the Spirit will unfold gently and steadily within us, “till at last our final stature, all God designed for us, is attained.” She describes this process as a continuous divine action and cautions that we should not be impatient nor settled down. “A great flexibility, a gentle acceptance of what comes to us and a still gentler acceptance of the fact that much we see in others is still our of our reach. We must keep our prayer free, youthful—full of confidence and full of initiative too.”[1]
I pray that each of you will face this new year with a commitment to follow the light, to share your gifts, to illumine the darkness. As we go forward into our Holy Communion, may we remember that our gifts have the greatest meaning when they are taken, blessed, broken, and shared with others. Eucharist, the Roman Catholic word for Communion means Thanksgiving. There is great mystery in Christianity. We are asked to be faithful to something we cannot fully understand. In thanksgiving for the gifts we have and will receive, may you go forth with hope and love. God bless you now and always. Amen.
[1] “The Light of the World” in WATCH FOR THE LIGHT, Plough Publishing House, 2001, p.177.
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 1:17 PM
