Epiphany 2020
Donna G. Joy

Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1012

Christmas offers an opportunity to reflect on how well we know Jesus: the One who has come, to be with us, to show us the embodiment; the very face, the very character, of God. This is an important aspect of the Christmas celebration because we can only be the kind of Jesus followers we are called to be once we have an adequate understanding of who Jesus really is. If we don’t have a clear understanding of who He is, why he came; if we don’t have a clear understanding of the sacrificial, unconditional love that exists at the heart of his character, his message, his sacrifice, then it is impossible for us to understand our responsibility as his followers. Only a good grasp of who Jesus is offers a solid foundation for our worship and ministry as we prepare for the coming year.

For many, this Christmas Jesus is a beautiful baby boy wrapped in swaddling clothes, sleeping in a trough on a bed of straw, as farm animals/shepherds/magi gaze at him, with thoughtful reverence. Another common scene of tranquility is one of the baby Jesus in the arms of his mother Mary – the Madonna and child portrait so prominent throughout church history. In many ways, these depictions are appropriate for the Christmas season, but there is also a potential problem with these particular images.

For many, these are the defining images of Jesus: helpless, dependent, silent. This vulnerability is important theologically: that is, the God we worship has come as a child, completely dependent on the care of others, which really says a lot about the level of trust that God is prepared to place into our hands. But this vulnerable child grows up into His Messianic role. The long awaited Messiah, anticipated and prophesied throughout the O.T., has arrived. He is to embrace the whole of humanity. Love the unlovable. Feed the hungry. Speak truth to power. Sacrifice His life on the cross so that our relationship with God may be restored.

Our readings today offer messages that describe the One who was to come the one whose birth we have celebrated this season. The One who inspires us to live as he has lived. A message of hope rises up in our reading from the Prophet Isaiah as he anticipates the coming of this long awaited Messiah. We find here encouraging words for the Israelite people as they endure the agony of rebuilding Jerusalem after their prolonged and painful exile. As they have finally returned home, they discover that almost everything has been lost, and the prospect of rebuilding seems like an impossible, overwhelming task. But in the midst of all this devastation, the people are told that the glory of God dawns over Jerusalem like the sunrise. This post-exilic world of deep, deep darkness is to discover a beacon of light, and nations shall be drawn to this light. “Lift up your eyes and look around.” Everyone shall be drawn to this great/glorious light.

This Christmas we have celebrated the fulfillment of this promise in the birth of the Christ child, an event that radiates throughout the whole of the solar system so that, in Luke’s Gospel, lowly shepherds are drawn to this light where they discover the child. And in this morning’s reading from Matthew, magi from a whole other nation are drawn to this light where they find the child. In the midst of the deepest of darkest times, a great light shines. Not only does it shine, but it shines in the lives of those like the shepherds who live on the margins, and those like the Magi who come from away.

So, first something about these mysterious pilgrims. They can rightfully be defined as pilgrims because they are people who travel to a shrine or a holy place as ones who are to love, admire, and potentially support the One they are about to discover. There is a lot about them that we simply cannot know for sure. The history of the Christian church has tended to identify them as kings, which they likely were not, travelling on camels, which is not actually mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. These images come from our reading this morning from the Prophet Isaiah as well as from Psalm 72. But what does seem clear in Matthew’s Gospel is that they were noble and enlightened figures, representative not only of learning and wisdom, but also power and wealth.

These learned and wise individuals who represent great power and wealth are immediately overwhelmed with joy and fall to their knees to worship and give thanks for the gift of this radically new and different king. They are humbled in his presence. They may have all sorts of influence and clout in the world in which they live, but in the presence of this new Prince of Peace they fall to their knees. They fall to their knees and they offer Him treasured gifts: Gold (valuable metal used to create items of great beauty; also a form of currency that such travelers would carry with them); Frankincense (regarded as sacred and considered an agent of healing); Myrrh (something to develop spiritual awareness, also used for embalming – perhaps in anticipation of his death).

A significant piece of what Matthew is helping us to see is that in the Age to Come all who follow this star, all who become pilgrims and discover the child, will bring and offer their treasures to God’s only Son. Everything that is honorable, beautiful, and good will perpetuate this radiant light. The prophetic word from Isaiah, rings through these birth stories, and still rings true today. In other words, the long awaited Messiah has entered the world through this birth. A great light now shines in the midst of the darkest of times and places.

But here’s the thing. It did not miraculously create a perfect world. When Kind Herod discovers that these important people are searching for this child ‘who has been born king’ he becomes frightened. HIS life is NOT immediately transformed by this birth. His fear turns to rage and his rage turns to revenge. He tries to enlist the magi to get back to him with news about where this child may be found, but their wisdom overrides that of Herod, and they return to their own country by another road.

This birth of God’s own son, turns a worldly power structure upside down. Rulers become afraid that their place of power is at risk. This child is to grow up and show us the very face and character of God, God’s unconditional, sacrificial love. This child’s ministry is to lead him to the cross. He carries with him to that torturous place all the sins of humanity that led him there. When his dead, lifeless body rises from the tomb we discover that for the rest of time love, humility, kindness, and fairness will, in the end, overpower all the unjust powers of this world. We do not always see evidence of this truth in this particular moment, but, as a Christian people, we live in hope that, through our faithfulness, with God’s help, this perfect time will come.

This is the Christ we worship, the Christ to whom we fall on our knees in awe & wonder. This is the Christ we are called to follow; to live as he lived, so that his light may shine through us. And his light shines through the gifts we share, as the Magi generously shared the gifts they had to give. Whatever gifts we have been given, we are called to offer our best and greatest, all to the glory of God. The Magi did not keep their treasures in their packs; instead, they dug deep and presented the very best of what they had to give. Gifts of music, reading, study, pastoral care, teaching, leadership, hospitality, outreach, faithful financial stewardship and management, to name just a few, are all sacred treasures entrusted by God to each of us in our own unique ways. They are all gifts to be shared so that God’s light may shine through us.

That is what our offertory is all about. This is where we offer to God everything we have to give; certainly our money, but the money piece represents everything we have to give. Through the generous and faithful sharing of our gifts, Christ’s light continues to shine in the darkest of places.

So, when the music and readings for our Lessons and Carols have been neatly filed away, when our Christmas banners and decorations have been put back into storage, when our Winnipeg winter seems to go on forever and there is nothing but Ash Wednesday to look forward to, then we most truly gather around the central proclamation of who the Christ is that worship, whose light shines through us into the dark places of the world.