Good Morning Friends,
Most people have put up their Christmas tree decorations and the nativity scenes have been packed away. We fast forward to Jesus’ baptism or to the coming of the wise men or other passages, perhaps forgetting that Jesus had to grow up like other humans. We wonder what we should be expecting now after the celebrations have waned. The twelve days of Christmas are just about over, and many are turning their attention to New Year resolutions and football. We have been there before with modest success in greater enlightenment but frankly need, as we always seem to need this time of year, an epiphany that births in us, our homes, our neighborhoods, communities, cities, States, and nations the light of Christ. We do want to become the person God intended us to be, these children of the light but somehow never submit fully to the opportunity. Things can seem so dark this time of year. We need the right perspective to see how they fit together to create in us an example of a work that glorifies God and turns on an internal light to guide us. The days are starting to get longer but a long bleak winter seems to persist.
So, Where Is The Light Of The World Now?
Scripture: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 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. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Isaiah 60:1-6 (NRSV)
for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 (NRSV)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came 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 been 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.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John 2:1-11 (NRSV)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:1-3 (NRSV)
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
Matthew 3:13-17 (NRSV)
Message: On my coffee table I have a book of Impressionist painter’s work. Up close the brush strokes are just specks of light and dark that produce nothing recognizable. Only when one steps back can one gain perspective and see how bits of paint fit together. So too the story of the Magi converging as part of the celebration of the birth and baptism of Jesus and the miracle at the wedding at Cana. These compressed efforts at preparation and celebration and enlightenment are only perfected when we allow God to guide us on the journey from the perspective of the star. Only then in love from on high do the confusing mix of events and plans in our lives come into focus revealing the masterpiece God is creating. Sometimes we need to step back to see. Only then is hope born anew as on that starry night when three kings opened their gifts for the baby Jesus… perhaps two years after his birth. Time seems to be thrown out the window. A celestial gravity wave seems to have changed time and space. We have the birth of Jesus, then Herod plotting to have all the two-year-old Bethlehem children killed. The story of the Magi, the escape to Egypt and then a baptism that seem linked but why? In the West, when Christians began celebrating the Epiphany, they associated it with the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus. Maybe there is an answer in the story. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three kings found baby Jesus by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem. The three kings are not named in scripture, but tradition has it that they are Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar and they by tradition represented Europe, Arabia, and Africa, respectively. They followed the star of Bethlehem to meet the baby Jesus. They offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh symbolic of the importance of Jesus’ birth. The gold represented his royal standing; frankincense his divine birth; and myrrh his mortality. It is a story about light and life but also the manifestation of God into human history. And the message is this…Christ will manifest himself to those that love him. And if we love him, we exist just a bit out of time too so we can get a glimpse of what it means for the heavens to open up. Friends, the Christian journey is about growing in the knowledge of truth and increasing understanding of the things of God. It is attaining the right thinking and action that when put into practice yields a life full of the best of everything. So, as we go on our way from Epiphany through the Lenten season to Easter, let God epiph in our lives. Make space in our lives to have a real encounter with God. Expect that it will happen. Get up in the morning wondering where it will come and go to sleep listening for God’s voice in dreams. Read your Bible expecting to hear God and come to Communion open to receive. God will epiph for that is promised so you might grow in love and bear fruit for the Kingdom.
And So, this coming Wednesday is Epiphany, and its celebration is a bit different than it was when first established as a church festival more than two hundred years after the death of Jesus by Greek speaking Christians. A Greek word was used to name the festival. Its celebration has waned. Some ask the question of why nothing epiphs on Epiphany anymore? And the short answer is that we do not expect God to be revealed in our midst, so the celebration of God’s powerful manifestation seems to have no power. We get what we expect. The early church was a church full of excitement and expectation. They anticipated the return of Jesus at any time, and the persecutions which they endured forced them to be aware of their faith and sometimes to die for their faith. Many of us today have lost that challenge, sense of excitement and expectation. In the early church, the point of Epiphany was not to remember history, but to be reminded that God appears miraculously to us in places and in ways that we do not always expect if we would just pay attention and look where the light is shining. If we keep remembering that God seems to thrive on unexpected appearances, and if we keep expecting to see God everywhere, we will be less likely to miss the miracles when they happen again. Think about this for a moment, the wedding at Cana was crowded, but only a few were aware that Jesus had worked a miracle in their midst. Most were not paying attention, except to realize that the wine was flowing again. They were not watching and missed an event that people have talked about for two thousand years. Bethlehem was so full of people that Mary and Joseph could not even find a room to spend the night, but there is no indication that more than a handful paid any notice to the new life that changed all of history, bright stars, and shepherd’s stories notwithstanding. If we want anything to epiph in our lives, we had better begin by expecting it and watching for it. So, the point today is the fact that a baby was born in a manger is relatively unimportant, compared with the events that proved to the world who that baby was. In today’s scripture John the Baptist is preaching to a crowd who has gathered to hear him and be baptized, and they were expecting something of importance to occur and it did. At Cana Mary is expecting her son to take care of the problem with the shortage of wine. The Magi were expecting something miraculous. And the beauty is that Jesus was validated by the changing of water into wine–by the voice of God and descending dove at his baptism, and through signs in the heavens that could be interpreted by the Magi. Those signs were God’s way of saying, “This is the one I have been telling you about!!!” Friends, God is manifest with us now and forevermore. Paul captures the essences of the holiday in his letter to the Ephesians. In 1 John we get a sense of how Christ reveals himself. Maybe now we will get the message. Maybe now we will be better prepared for a new epiphany allowing us to see Jesus at work in the world.
Pray that we be as wise men and wise women still seeking Jesus. Pray that the love of Christmas lives on in our lives as we share the blessings of the season in Communion with others. Pray the hope of Christmas holds us up and gives us patience as the season gets busier. Pray the joy of Christmas continues to fill our hearts and overflow into all our relationships. Pray the peace of Christmas soothe our fragile spirits and keeps us calm within. Pray the light of Christmas brighten our paths and help us find our way. Pray the love of Christmas helps us grow into the purpose God has envisioned for us. Pray we are baptized in the Spirit of Christmas and share in the ongoing miracle of God’s appearance in creation. Pray that we submit to the hand of the greatest Artist of all. Pray we, by the mercies of God, experience a new life in Christ. Pray we repent so that God can use us to help turn the lights of love on for others. Pray our lights are turned on so others can see the beauty shining through. Pray we are guided on the path of salvation in the radiance and power of the Holy Spirit working in the world as one in community and worship proclaiming God’s light. Pray we bear our gifts in the gracious mystery of the way. Pray we put it all together. Pray we expect a miracle.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 