Epiphany (Observed)

Today we observe Epiphany. Traditionally, it’s observed on January 6, the “Twelfth Day” after Christmas, but in many churches in the West, including the Roman Catholic Church, it’s celebrated on the first Sunday after January 1st. 

 

To most of us “epiphany” is an unfamiliar word. It’s one of those words that we probably hear only once a year. But its meaning is clear enough. It means “manifestation” or a “shining forth.” Epiphany happens when God’s light breaks through to us. “Arise, shine; for your light has come!” announces the prophet Isaiah in our first lesson. God’s light illuminates the dark landscape of our lives. When we can see with clarity, we can act decisively. We can put one foot in front of the other and walk the path marked out for us, confident it will lead to our desired destination.  

 

When we’re able to drop our defenses, when we’re open and receptive, when we’re ready to look up to see what God wants to show us, then we are in a place where epiphany can happen.

 

The wise men, also known as the Magi, look up and see the star. They’ve been searching and become sensitive to signs. The stars are above us, but do we see the signs? Many of us live our lives and seldom look up at the stars, figuratively speaking. How can we when our default mode is always to be busy and preoccupied? Indeed, many of us today never look up, because we never look away from our phones.

 

The Magi are called wise, precisely because they do look up. They realize that there’s more to life than what they see in their social media notifications, than what they binge watch on Netflix. They’ve become convinced that there’s a reality that transcends us, that wants to communicate with us, that wants to convey a message to us, as we explored last Sunday when we looked at what John’s Gospel had to tell us about God’s Word. That’s why the Magi stopped, left whatever it was they were doing, looked up and set out. Is that even possible for you and for me today?

 

The star appears to the Magi. It shines above them and illuminates their path. But it does not disclose that to which it is pointing them all at once. We may imagine that at some point along the way the star appeared dim. Lacking the clarity they once had when they first set out, they stumbled. They doubted whether setting out was such a good idea after all. When the light of the star was at its dimmest, the agony of doubt so paralyzed them that they felt absolutely unable to press forward. They were seized with temptation to turn back.   

 

Have you ever been there? Maybe some of us are there right now. God’s people certainly know about this struggle, about this agony. To the Christians who were suffering persecution for their faith, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes: “Do not throw away your confidence. You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” The author continues, “The just one will live by his faith. And if he shrinks back, God will take no pleasure in him.” The author then assures them, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and are saved” (Heb. 10:38-9).   

 

The Magi carry on. Let us note here that the word is plural. We’re not talking about only one, but about many. Tradition tells us that there are three and that their names are Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. But our gospel lesson says nothing about them, not to mention how many there are. There could have been many more than three for all we know.

 

Here’s what we do know: we need one another in the journey of faith. Whenever one of us is doubtful and discouraged, whenever one of us loses hope and is tempted to give up, another one should come to his side to strengthen and encourage him. We cannot go on this journey of faith alone; we need one another.

 

The star leads the Magi to Jerusalem. They meet King Herod, the murderous tyrant who had his own sons executed because he suspected them of a plot to overthrow him. The Magi dared to come to this fearsome king in Jerusalem to declare their purpose.

 

Herod and all of Jerusalem with him are seized with fear when he hears about their purpose. Here is a king surrounded by all the trappings of royal power and authority, and yet appears pathetic and contemptible in that he is terrified of a child, and later will be outfoxed by the Magi. He inadvertently helps the Magi when he calls together the scribes and the priests of the people to learn from them where the Messiah was to be born. They consult the Scriptures, and speak to Herod the words of Micah 5:1, 3 and 2 Samuel 5:2: “and you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

 

There are people all around us who are in search of truth, goodness and beauty. There is an insatiable hunger in the human heart for these that will not be denied. We should encourage them in this search wherever it may lead them. But we should also invite them, without pressure, to explore for themselves the claim of the Christian faith, that this hunger for truth, goodness and beauty is sated with the sight of this new-born King, Jesus Christ.

 

Drawn from different backgrounds and walks of life, we share in a common search for Christ and a common desire to worship him. Our mission, therefore, is to be a sign like the star. The church ought to be the star that guides people in their search for truth, beauty and goodness. The Magi reveal to us the unity of all nations that is desired by God. They travel from far away countries, and represent diverse cultures, yet they are impelled by the same hunger. The church is that star when it leads all to Christ, so that they may see and know this king, the one by whom God wills to bring about the unity of all peoples in a bitterly divided world.

 

The Magi hear the scriptures and resume their journey. Parenthetically, this is an important reason for going to church. At church we hear the Scriptures read and proclaimed. The Word of God has been called bread for the journey. Unless we eat this bread in the form of Word and sacrament, we grow weary and falter in our steps. We will find it hard, if not impossible, to reach our desired destination. 

 

Nourished by the Scriptures, The Magi follow the star that at last guides them to their desired destination, which is Bethlehem. Were they surprised when their search did not lead them to a palace or a court or the halls of power, but to the backwater town of Bethlehem? But when they realize that their search has ended in success, they are overwhelmed with joy.

 

Throughout Christmastide, we have seen that the response to the good news about Jesus Christ is joy. That has been the consistent response. When Mary went to her cousin Elizabeth to announce the good news about the child she carried in her womb, Elizabeth responded with joy. Indeed, even the unborn baby in her womb, John, leapt with joy. And when the angel appeared to the angels to announce to them the good news of great joy for all the peoples, they responded with joy. And when we hear the good news preached to us, not only during Christmastide, but throughout the rest of the year, should not our response be the same? In our own dark times, should we not stand out as joyful people, precisely because we have heard and received the good news preached to us?

 

After encountering and worshipping the Savior, the Magi open their treasures to offer their gifts. In a recent series of articles I wrote for the church’s newsletter on the worship of the church, I noted that the offering happens after the sermon. That is the proper place for this moment in our worship service. We bring forward our gifts in thankful response to the good news about Jesus Christ proclaimed to us in the sermon.

 

What do the Magi bring in thankful response to the gift of the Christ child? Bible scholars have speculated for centuries about the meaning of their gifts. We refer here to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is certainly natural to associate the gift of gold with royalty. When the Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon, for example, she brought him a gift of 120 talents of gold. Incidentally, a talent was equivalent to 75 pounds, so the queen brought to Solomon 9000 pounds of gold!

 

The Magi had just left Herod’s palace with all its trappings of power and splendor, yet here in a house in Bethlehem is where they leave their gold. They see something that the world does not. Their gesture in laying the gold before the child and his mother says: “Here is where the power is. Here is what really matters” (M. Villano).   

 

The gift of frankincense was associated with prayer, worship and devotion in the ancient world. By presenting to the Christ child the gift of frankincense, the Magi show that he is worthy to receive their reverence and devotion.

 

The meaning of the myrrh is suggested in John’s Gospel, where we read that Nicodemus brought a mixture of aloes and myrrh, about a hundred pounds worth, for the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial. It’s this that explains the view that the gift of myrrh in the Christmas story ties the Messiah’s birth to his death. Jesus is the rejected king who must die before he reigns as the risen and ascended Christ. 

 

When we arrive at a sense of the worth, of the precious value, of the goodness and beauty of the Christ child, as did the Magi, then our hearts grow and expand in joy. It becomes a joy that we wish to share with others, to communicate somehow to them. As we have already mentioned, this is a theme that stood out during Christmas and now carries over into Epiphany.

 

After encountering the Savior and worshipping him together, the Magi return to their countries by a different way, having been warned in a dream.

 

Similarly, the fellowship that we share during our worship hour must inspire us to return to our lives, to our world, by new ways. To return by new ways is a call to repentance, to renewal. It is a summons to us to follow Christ on a new path, in a volatile and changing world.

 

Our world is indeed volatile and changing. Observers have noted how our social and economic landscape has been drastically altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. People everywhere are re-evaluating their lives. Between January and October of last year, one in four people in the United States quit their jobs. Meanwhile, our bitter political conflicts continue to drive a deeper wedge between us. The wealth and wellness gap between the privileged few and the vast majority of our citizens continues to widen.

 

In his recent book, Let us Dream: the Path to a Better Future, Pope Francis describes our time as a change of epoch, not simply a time of change. There is a perceived gap between the challenges we face and the solutions available to us. There is a restlessness, a disquiet, that is prompting people to search, to reflect, to question.

 

Can we as the church be that star that guides people today in their searching and questioning? May it be so. To this end, may God be gracious to us and bless us. May he make the light of his face to shine upon us, who make up the church, so that his ways may be known on the earth, his salvation among all the nations. Amen.

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