January 8, 2016: May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.
Today we celebrate Epiphany. The feast of the Epiphany is Janurary 6th, so we are celebrating it today. And it is this feast day that ends our Christmastide – our twelve days of Christmas. So, as I said at the funerals yesterday, if your spouse or your friends are giving you a hard time about still having the tree up, you can tell them that you are just being a good Christian, and doing what the church does, so there!
Every year we tell the story of the Magi who travel from the East to bring gifts to the Christ child, and it is good to remember where we got this story of the three wise guys. Matthew, the only gospel account of this story, never tells us how many there were. But since Matthew mentions three gifts, later Christian tradition came to identify three kings (even though there is no mention of them being royalty either); and in the late sixth century Armenian Infancy Gospel, the Magi are even given names-Melkon or Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar. But just as we don’t really know the names of the people who wrote the gospels, we also don’t know the names of these folks. If we wanted to embark on an Abbot & Costello routine, we could just call them Who, What, and I don’t Know. Those names would be just as valid historically, but perhaps a bit more fun to say. “So, who’s on that camel over there.” “Right. Who’s on that camel.”
It took them awhile to get there too, but most folks have these sages in their mangers. Yet, as we hear today, Jesus was not a baby anymore, but a child, and living in a house. I wonder if they kept veering off course. Maybe the star was the first GPS device to annoyingly keep repeating “rerouting, rerouting, rerouting.”
But, regardless of how long it took these folk to arrive, each year we like to tell the story of their visit…
Loud Knock Heard From The Back
Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches
King 1 presents Mother Diana with gift.
Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a picture of the wise men, and a scroll.
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“Yes, that is a picture of us…though we don’t think it is a good one – we had no selfie sticks in those days. There were more than just us three too, other men and women, and of course the camels – without whom the journey would have been impossible. Not everyone who began the journey with us were there when we got to the Christ Child. We lost a number along the way for all sorts of reasons, but we carried them in our hearts.
The truth is – life is a journey we take with others – some of our own choosing, some not, and always led by the light of God shining to show us the way.”
Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says,
“…what an interesting gift, thank you great sage! Now, as I was saying…”
Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches
King 2 presents Mother Diana with gift.
Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a sword, and a scroll.
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“The sword is a symbol of might…but beware of those who wield power by it. Pay close attention – not only to what you see, but to what you dream. The Herods of the world are always around, but God will show you the way you are to go.
The truth is – power is never from the sword, but from the light. Do not be distracted, and don’t forget to dream!”
Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says,
“…thank you great sage for this most insightful gift.”
Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches
King 2 presents Mother Diana with gift.
Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a Christmas ornament, and a scroll.
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“Yes, this is an ornament from a Christmas tree – the star of Bethlehem made from olive wood. But if you look closely inside, you will discover what we found as well that night so long ago– the holy child Jesus with his mother Mary and her husband Joseph.
The truth is – the star was not meant for us to follow always, but to lead us to the light that will guide us…because our journey is only just begun.”
Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and continues the sermon…
A picture of the magi, a really cool sword, and a Christmas ornament of the star of Bethlehem with the Christ child inside with Mary his mother, and Joseph.
What could these all mean? They are kinds neat gifts, especially that really cool sword, but how do they fit together? What are these magi trying to tell us? Perhaps we need to trace back our steps – or really, those of our magi.
The star reminds us that God will guide us to know the true light, and once we encounter Christ in our lives, we are changed. We will occasionally need a star or two to guide us along the way, and God will send them to us – but we need to pay attention, to see them…and sometimes, to dream them.
But once we arrive where God leads us, our journey doesn’t stop, but is only beginning, isn’t it? The magi didn’t hang out at Jesus’ house, putting their feet up on the recliner to watch some football, did they? (well, maybe if the Giants had been in the playoffs that year…) No, they left, and as they did, we too leave the manger – this manger we call Christ Church. We do this each week when we leave our churches on Sunday. And, when we do we will take the light of Christ with us – it is the divine spark lit in our hearts at baptism, and renewed whenever we gather here and encounter Christ again in the Eucharist.
And in that journey, we will encounter the swords of those who wield power and attempt to destroy us and others. We will encounter those who try to deter us from our calling, who are threatened by the love, light, and peace that we, as the body of Christ are in the world today. And because of that, we need to remember that we are not on this journey alone – God will guide us, and help us to know the way. But just as important is that God never intended this to be a solo thing, this human life we live, this journey of light we make.
Each magi could have made this trek to the manger on their own, but they traveled together. Jesus too did not journey in this world alone. He was born into a human family, born of a woman’s womb. He grew up with others, and in his life work, he surrounded himself with his friends. Together they rejoiced, and grieved. He celebrated a wedding with wine, and wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. We too have lives filled with great joy and deep sorrow, but if we allow ourselves to love and be loved, to gather here in community, to open our doors and our hearts to others as we journey, we will receive gifts greater than any the magi brought to the Christ child. Because Jesus taught us that every time we serve another, every time we love another, or allow ourselves to be loved, every time gather together – we do this with and for him – he is present.
Like the magi, not everyone will be with us the entire time – some will be with us only a short while – but everyone who touches our lives brings us gifts if we are open to receiving them, and those gifts will remain with us always.
The gift of the Magi is the gift of Epiphany – the awakening to the Christ that is revealed to us in so many ways each and every day. We may never see a wondrous star shining brightly in the heavens, but we can see the light of Christ shining brightly in the eyes of the poor, the marginalized, the stranger…and, in the mirror too – if only we pause for a moment and look.
The greatest gift of Christmas apears to us in Epiphany, which is what the Greek word ἐπιφάνεια means, appearing. And it is this – that Jesus is born, not only in a manger so long ago, but in each of us. Just as he did not stay there, but brought his light out into the world, so too are we not to leave his light behind at Christmas, or even in this church.
I read a quote by Michael Dougherty in a Facebook meme the other day (it is now posted on our church Facebook page). It reads: “When the carols have been stilled, when the star-topped tree is taken down, when family and friends are gone home, when we are back to our schedules, the work of Christmas begins…to welcome the refugee, to heal a broken planet, to feed the hungry, to build bridges of trust, not walls of fear, to share our gifts, to seek justice and peace for all people, to bring Christ’s light to the world.”
May we, like the magi, be willing to follow where God leads us, lean on others and on God to help us along the way, and be mindful and aware to not confuse power with right, but walk always in love and peace. And most especially, that once we receive the gift of Christmas, the Christ child, in our hearts, that we do the work of Christmas and share that light with the world. Because it is we, not the magi, who are now meant to reveal Christ to a world who hungers for God’s love.
Christmas isn’t over…it’s only just begun.
Amen.
For the audio from the 10:30am service, click here:
[Based upon a concept by the Rev. Phillip Dana Wilson – Used with permission]
Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
January 8, 2017
The First Sunday After The Epiphany
1st Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7,10-14
2nd Reading – Ephesians 3:1-12
Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12
