January 5, 2020: 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 really tomorrow, January 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 remind you every year, if you put away your Christmas decorations already, you rushed the season. Some even celebrate until Candlemas on Feb. 2nd when we remember the presentation of Jesus at the temple, so if you think 12 days are a lot…
Now, every year we tell the story of the Magi who travel from the East to bring gifts to the Christ child, and it is important each year 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. So, pick whatever names you like for them. I think this year, I will call them Harry, Hermione, and Ron – though we all know that if Hermione were one of them, they would have arrived on time with far more appropriate gifts for a newborn.
For as we know, it took them awhile to get there (as we heard today, he was already a child living in a house) and they did bring really weird gifts for a new family, right?
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 slinky and a scroll.
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“This birth brings forward joy and possibility. We didn’t really know what was ahead for us when we first followed that star, and there were surely folks who thought we were a bit crazy for doing it. Yet in the end, God gave us the courage we needed, and like this child’s toy, we found that if you stretch yourself to follow your calling, everything else will follow too.
The truth is – sometimes you will be called to lead the way – to step boldly forward where God is leading – as we magi did. Eventually, others may follow…but if they don’t, keep on moving on, because the gifts that you bring, and that you receive, will truly make a difference.”
Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says,
“…what an interesting and really fun 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 Yield and a scroll..
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“This birth changes everything! We Magi knew the heavens had been shifted, but we couldn’t imagine the changes that would occur on earth. We knew a sign when we saw one, and we followed it. Now, we Eastern sages know a lot about signs – especially this one. While we knew when to step boldly forward and followed the star with courage, we also knew when it was best to take a longer and more circuitous path to ensure His light shone brightly in the world.
The truth is – While the troubled world needs justice and peace now as it did then, those who travel His path must know when to topple walls, and when to go around them. So always remember to follow the signs the Holy Spirit gives to you– be it a star, a yield sign, or a red light.”
Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says,
“…thank you great sage for this most insightful, and rather large, gift. I sure hope you got this legally. 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 lantern, and a scroll.
Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud –
“This birth brought into the world the life and light of all the people. Throughout our journey, in the rough places and the smooth, His star was with us – even when things seemed most dark.
The truth is – His light will always guide you too, filling you with His love and grace, so that even in your darkest moments, hope will abound. Of course, you just have to remember to turn it [turns lantern on with remote from pocket] on!
After turning lantern back off, Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and continues the sermon…
A slinky, a yield sign, and a lantern.
What could these all mean? They are kinda neat gifts, especially that slinky, but how do they fit together? What are these magi trying to tell us?
I think I might have an idea…
Today we live in a crazy world, which sometimes can seem darker and more hateful with every passing day. Yet if we remember the birth we celebrate, we know that the gifts the magi brought to Jesus were a sign of who He was, and what he would do in this world.
He is a new king for us – ensuring that our loyalties in this world are always aligned with those of heaven. And so they brought him gold – a gift for royalty.
He is the long awaited Emmanuel – God with us – reminding us that we are all God’s beloved children, and what that means for us. And so they brought him Frankincense – a gift for deity.
He is the crucified messiah – whose death and resurrection changed everything then, now, and always. And so they brought him myrrh – a gift to anoint the dead, and one used as medicine – even today.
And the gifts today? Well, they are about his birth too…and about us.
Slinkys pull forward, and at some point, the rest springs up to meet it, and even springing past. Following Christ’s call can feel like that too. In the beginning, it can feel scary, and far more than a bit of a stretch. Yet if it is the Holy Spirit pulling us forward then we have nothing to fear, for what keeps us linked is the grace of Jesus Christ – the one no king or cross could overcome. And if we have courage, perhaps others will follow, and just like that (do that with the slinky) – the gospel of God’s all inclusive love is spread far and wide.
But how do we know if we are being called, and to where? How do we see the star shining in our own lives? The second gift of the sages helps us answer those questions by reminding us to be aware of the signs God gives us in our lives – and they are ever present, though we sometimes ignore or blow right past them. For sometimes the pull forward is God, but at other times it may be that God is trying to pull us back from the wrong path, or at least letting us know it is time to stop and rest for a bit – to lay our yoke on Him that we may find our courage and strength renewed. And that brings up the Yield sign, for it is this sign most of all that we tend not to see, yet it is a sign God often gives us – and one the world needs too.
Today people just seem to yell at one another – no one will compromise, no one will listen to the other. We seem so entrenched in our own point of view we can’t seem to remember that the person on the other side is also a child of God. There are times as well when we believe so fervently in our own positions that we cannot possibly imagine that another position might also have some truth to it, or at least that the one opposite us isn’t going to hear us if we are angry, shouting, or unwilling to listen. This has led to strife in families, and in our communities. It also doesn’t spread the gospel because hate only brings about more hate. The only path to love is love.
It is true that sometimes we must forge ahead – justice delayed is justice denied after all. Yet yielding isn’t a stop sign, it can be another way to get to where we are going.
When I was young, I competed in Judo. God bless my parents really, because there is nothing more boring than a judo tournament, and I was in them all over the East Coast. While the goal in a match is to defeat your opponent, one of the first things you learn in Judo is that the best way to do that can often be…to yield – for yielding is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. And while a Judo match uses this for defeating the other, as we seek to follow Jesus, God may be giving us a yield sign for another reason.
In this broken world, we just may find that God’s sign to yield opens the way to much needed healing, understanding, and hope, that we may find a common connection by which unity may be forged for the good of all and the spread of His gospel. The yield sign may also be God’s way of doing a course correction, lest we become the proverbial bull in a China shop, making the journey more about ourselves, and less about His truth of love and grace. And finally, like what happens when this sign is seen on our roads, it may be God telling us that we are to follow, not lead.
And now about this lantern…perhaps the best gift the sages gave us, for with it, we are reminded that the greatest gift of all were not the ones they brought to him or to us, but the one He is!
You know, one of my favorite Christmas hymns is “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” well, if sung to Forest Green that is, and my favorite verse in that hymn is the 3rd one, which goes like this: “How silently, how silently, the wonderous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in the world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
Christ does enter in – for in our baptism he is born in us. We are God’s lanterns – Christ’s light within us shining in this dark world as a beacon of hope for all. And to keep His light burning brightly [turns lantern on] we come here, receiving him in the Eucharist, and being restored for the star journeys ahead.
The sages have given us great gifts indeed, and like them, we too have stars we must follow with courage, for we too need to go to Jesus. And where will we find him?
He is once again an infant refugee fleeing oppression with his family, just as he was when Joseph and Mary fled with him to Egypt – as would be heard in the verses following the ones we read today – though now we have Him in cages at our Southern border, rather than being a welcomed stranger in a foreign land.
He is still being crucified – in the oppression of women, people of color, those who love differently, and so many more. In these places we will find his star shining.
And perhaps most importantly, He is still the resurrected one – alive in you and me – his light grace, hope, and love shining through us for all who wait in darkness.
It is the Feast of the Epiphany, and while the Magi gave us some wonderful gifts, God has given us the greatest one of all – the gift of life and love found in Jesus, and the courage, strength, and hope we need to spread his gospel, if we meek souls will receive him still, and let the dear Christ enter in.
For if we do, we truly will keep Christ in Christmas by being Christ the rest of the year, and His birth in us will change everything too.
Amen.
Based upon a concept by the Rev. Phillip Dana Wilson – Used with permission
For the audio from the 10:30am service, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here:
Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
January 5, 2020
The Feast of The Epiphany Trans.
1st Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7,10-14
2nd Reading – Ephesians 3:1-12
Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12
