We are now no longer in the season of Christmas. On 6 January, the 12th day of Christmas, which was last Wednesday, we entered into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany marks the visit to the baby Jesus by the three Kings, or Wise Men. In the West, Christians began celebrating Epiphany in the 4th century. As we know, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the men found Jesus by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem. The three men, traditionally named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, represented Europe, Arabia, and Africa, respectively. According to Matthew 2:11, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts were symbolic of the importance of Jesus' birth, the gold representing his royal status, frankincense his divine birth, and myrrh his mortality. Epiphany is a Greek word, and means to show, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world. The three wise men were not Jews, they were Gentiles, and so Epiphany is symbolic of the revelation of the Lord Jesus as King, not just of the Jews, but of all the peoples of the Earth. Of course, Jesus was a very special King, a King that was born to serve, to suffer, and to die for us on the cross. The gift of myrrh, especially, reflects this crucial aspect of his kingship.
The reading we heard today, from Isaiah 42, came from the lectionary. It is selected to correspond to the season of Epiphany, and like the Epiphany to the three kings, it is intended to explain to us who Jesus is. God himself is speaking, and he says (in vv. 1-4): Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope. Christmas is past, the baby is born, but just exactly who is this baby whose birth we celebrated? This passage tells us he is God’s special servant, and he is the chosen one in whom God delights. He has God’s Holy Spirit put on him, and he is sent to bring justice to the nations. This is Jesus, whose name means “Savior,” and he will not be discouraged, and he will not fail in his purpose, and the people will put their hope in him.
In the first chapter of the gospel of John, it says of Jesus: In him was life, and that life was the light of all men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem he brought God’s light into the world. In our present day world, there is much darkness, and it seems very much that the darkness is constantly increasing. It seems that the lights which we have previously trusted in, the lights of Christian civilization, with its requirements of honesty, truthfulness, faithfulness, peacefulness, decent behavior, clear moral guidelines, the maintenance of holy institutions like marriage, are being snuffed out, and that the world is descending into chaos around us. There is a breakdown in public order here in Britain, and around the world war is on the increase. Yet God’s word still assures us: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. How are we to trust in this word in the coming year, in the midst of such troubles? By putting our faith in Jesus, the light of the world, whose birth as a baby in Bethlehem we have just celebrated. And how are we to give practical expression to that faith? John goes on to tell us in his gospel: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John tells us the answer: to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. We put our faith in him when we receive him into our lives, when we believe in his name. This means every day, when we get up, when we go out to work, or to our daily business, whatever it is, we must commit ourselves to his care, obey him, and trust him to guide us and protect us. We may not be able to change the world ourselves, but we can commend ourselves, and our families and communities, to Him who certainly can change it. As we live our lives in faith, we show Jesus, as in the first Epiphany, to the world around us.
But, you may say: ‘I am weak, how can I have faith like that?’ Well, the truth is, that everyone of us, even the best of us, lacks faith, and needs more of it. In the letter to the Hebrews it says: … without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. This is a challenge, but as we start this new year, with whatever it holds, in the season of Epiphany, we can be comforted that God knows our weakness, and is merciful with us. In our reading earlier we heard: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Though my faith may be as weak as a bruised reed, or a smoldering wick, Jesus will not break the reed, or snuff out the wick. He will bear with my weakness, and he will still faithfully continue his work until he establishes justice on earth. And as I exercise my faith, and experience his faithfulness, my faith, like every physical muscle in my body, will grow stronger.
The reading we heard earlier goes on to say: This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.' Again, God the Father is speaking about the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus. He says: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, holds the Father’s hand. He will be made a covenant for the people, and a light that is to be shined throughout the earth, to the Jews and to all the Gentiles. First he was shown, as God’s king and savior, to the three kings, but in the end all the peoples of the earth will see him too.
The God of this world, the evil one, wants me (and you) to be blind, so that I cannot see the light. He wants me to be imprisoned in a prison cell, so that I cannot see the light of Jesus through the dungeon walls. He does not want me to be shown the light of Jesus in his Epiphany, he does not want me to see it. But God says that Jesus will: … open eyes that are blind … free captives from prison and … release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I will be given sight to see Jesus, and I will walk free from the prison of fear and doubt to witness Jesus working in the world. God says it in his word. May I take hold of it in faith.
In our second reading today, from the book of Acts, also from the lectionary for Epiphany, we heard that Peter said: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message … how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Peter explains how God filled Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people who were in bondage under the power of the devil. The power of the Holy Spirit is still available today, to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and who receive him into their lives. He has power to set us free from the power of spiritual darkness, so that we can show forth the light of God, and truly experience his love.
I began speaking today by asking a series of questions: Have our lives been changed by Christmas? Should we expect, and do we want, them to be changed? What are our expectations for 2016? Well the season of Epiphany, and the readings we have heard, help us to answer these questions. If we believe the Word of God, and if we trust it is true, then we must believe in, and take hold of, the promises of God. When God first called us and drew us to himself, and when we accepted his salvation through the Lord Jesus, it was never his intention to leave us at the mercy the spiritual darkness we had experienced in our former lives. Paul, speaking to the Romans, says: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. God promises to transform us, he wants us to worship him and to experience the very best life has to offer us, as we live it for him.
We have recently been reminded again of the miraculous birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. We have read the scriptures, and sung the carols, which tell of his coming to this earth, and we have worshipped God for what he has done to fulfil all the prophecies which foretold Jesus’ coming. But God does not want this to only be a pleasant and sentimental remembrance. Whenever we prayerfully read the Word of God, it has real power to change us eternally. God says through Isaiah today: See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Christmas is past, but God is still declaring new things, for me and for you.
The answer is: Yes, we should expect and want our lives to be changed by Christmas, for it means Jesus is in the world and the kingdom of God has arrived, with power to transform not just our personal lives, but the whole earth. What should our expectations be for 2016? Well, the baby born in Bethlehem is, as we have heard in our Epiphany readings today, the Son and servant of the most high God, who comes into the world to bring salvation, healing, justice, and renewal. We should expect that we will indeed see him work in our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation.
Let us open up our hearts, and welcome him this coming year. Let me close with the following prayer, which I invite everyone of you to make your prayer also: O God, in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of thy glory in the face of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. My your light shine in my heart. Work in my life this year to extend your kingdom.
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