Epiphany and the Season After - Year A -- 2008
Indexed by Date. Sermons for Epiphany Year A
Isaiah 60: 1-6
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3: 1-12
Matthew 2: 1-12
I’ve always found astronomy a fascinating subject - probably because most of it is beyond me. One of the few memories I have of my grandfather, who died when I was seven, is of standing outside and trying to see why what he was pointing at in the sky was called “the Big Dipper”. He knew much more about the night sky than that but he died before I was old enough to see anything that looked like a constellation. Not long ago there was a renewed debate over whether or not “Pluto” was really a planet. I thing think that in the end “they” (whoever they were) threw it out of the club!
I guess one of the things that has most intrigued me about astronomy is its complex interaction with theology throughout history. We may think that astronomy does not have much to do with the Christian faith but that was certainly not always the case! When the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy theorized that the earth was the stationery centre of the universe with the planets and stars rotating around it, it seemed to support what the Bible said about creation.
While some ancient scholars had long theorized that the sun was the centre of the universe, the Ptolemaic theory was the one that held in Europe for over a thousand years. The work of Nicolaus Copernicus in the 16th century changed all of that. He first theorized, and then proved, that the sun was the centre of the universe and the planets, including earth, revolved around the sun. After his death his books were censored because the Church of the day decided that they were in direct contradiction to the common interpretation of Holy Scripture. It seemed that earth, as the pinnacle of God’s creation, HAD to be the centre of all that was. When someone came along who questioned this, it caused a great deal of consternation and a backlash. Eventually though, science and theology learned to co-exist on this matter.
The Magi were people who studied the stars and are probably more properly called “astrologers” rather than astronomers. They saw changes in the sky as a sign or cause of changes on earth, rather than regarding it from what we would tern a scientific point of view.
These Magi were not Jewish, they were pagans; they were not from Israel, they were foreigners. Where they were from is not told to us. But they are a symbol of the world beyond Israel; they symbolize the beginning of the world-wide mission of the church, the symbol of the places where the light of this new baby would eventually shine.
Liturgically speaking, Christmas is not just a day but rather a season of 12 days. We in the United Church sometimes forget that. Remember the song: “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....” After many partridges, golden rungs and swimming swans we arrive at the 12th day. This is the 12th and last day of Christmas, but only occasionally does it fall on a Sunday. In addition to those “twelve drummers drumming” (from the song) this is observed as the day that the Magi visited the Christ Child. Given some of the indications in the passage itself, it is supposed that such a journey may have taken up to two years.
Given the fact that stars just don’t act in this way, nor do any other celestial objects, we must conclude that this is not really an accurate scientific story about stars, but it is rather a story about Jesus’ significance for the entire world - significant enough for the star to stop! This birth is significant enough for the world to stop and take notice, in fact, it is so special that the heavens are heralding it with a special star! How much more significant could you get than that?
Some newspapers run a regular cartoon strip called “Grand Avenue” which by a cartoonist by the name of Steve Breen. The Untied Features Syndicate features a set of twins who go around having various kinds of adventures. One recent edition of this cartoon features the pair passing a couple of sidewalk newspaper boxes selling tabloids whose cover stories concern celebrities involved in various kinds of crime or scandals. A trio of Magi sit atop their camels at the far end of the stip. The words in the bubble are, “Believe it or not, there was a time when following a star didn’t lead to disappointment”.
I think that one of the most popular topics covered in magazines would be “the lives” of the stars. Who is dating whom? Who is getting divorced? Who is having whose baby? How much weight has so and so lost or gained? Where did so and so go on vacation? How much did the new mansion owned by so and so cost to remodel ? When is the next cd or movie coming out starring so and so? Who has been arrested for what? And on and on! We can’t seem to get enough of it!
Of course, the star of Bethlehem was different. The star did not point the magi to itself but to the Christ child. While hymns have been written about this famous star, the star was unimportant, in and of itself. The star of Bethlehem was a symbol of the “light that had come into the world”. The star led the Magi, the “wise ones” to the Christ Child. The star brought the world to Bethlehem.
Luke’s gospel gives us the angel Gabriel and the shepherds while Matthew tells us about the visit from the “magi” or the “wise men” from the east. Custom and tradition has taught us that there were three of them and that they rode camels. Legend has even given us their names. However the biblical account only tells us that there were three gifts. Camels were a common method of long distance transportation but that the magi rode camels is only an educated guess and there would almost certainly have been more than three people in their entourage. In addition, the words of the prophet Isaiah talk about the camels coming to Israel.
However, we should not get caught up in the details, one way or the other. The Gospel of Matthew is very concerned with connection and meaning. He makes a effort to tell those parts of the story he can connect to the prophets or the wider purposes of God in the birth of the Messiah. Everything in Matthew’s story has a wider meaning!
Traditional explanations of the gifts are as follows:
1: Gold was a gift fit for a king and Jesus was a king - “the King of Kings”
2: Frankincense was a symbol of Jesus priestly function. The burning of incense was part of temple worship. Jesus was regarded as the “great high priest”. Today’s reading from the book of Isaiah also refers to the gold and frankincense being brought to Israel.
3: Myrrh was primarily used to anoint dead bodies and prepare then for burial. For Matthew, the gift of myrrh reminded everyone that Jesus was bound to die because of human sin.
The phrase, “Having an epiphany” is just a fancy way of saying, “I saw the light”; “I understand something very clearly now”. On this day we celebrate the ones who had the epiphany and who, symbolically at least, began to spread that light. To know the truth about the Baby of Bethlehem was to tell others the Good News.
We know the story. The magi see the star. Because they understand these kinds of things they set out for the land of the Jews. However they make a serious faux pas which costs many their lives: they make the mistake of assuming the “King of the Jews” will be from the already ruling family. In a world of political intrigue and power this should not have been as an automatic assumption as we might otherwise think.
Perhaps Matthew included this detail because he believed and wanted to proclaim that the work of God cannot be so easily bungled. He wanted to proclaim that the guidance of God and the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph saved the baby from harm do that he could grow older and fulfill the mission for which he has been born.
Having worshipped the baby and presented their gifts these eastern strangers return home by another way. It seems to me that the Magi would have returned changed in a very real way by their encounter with the holy and this new wy serves two purposes: a) to show they have been changed; and b) to try and thwart Herod.
The gospel of Matthew begins in irony. Herod, the King of the Jews, put in place by the power of Rome and by his own brutality and ruthlessness is shown to be a man of fear. He is not at all deserving of the title he bears. The true king, the child of Bethlehem, though he must flee for his life, is the one worthy of true devotion, the one worthy enough to make these wise ones travel to pay him homage. Matthew tells us what we already know: things are not always as they seem.
So, what are to make of this, some 2000 years later. We are long removed from a world in which most people think that the stars control, or are even signs of, human behaviour or great events. Yet, as northern peoples, coping with deep snow and long dark nights, we are aware of the importance of the return of the light as we notice, or imagine that we notice, that the minutes of daylight are increasing. As human beings we crave and need light.
As I see it, Epiphany for us as Christians should be about mission. We are to be about spreading the good news; living the gospel. Like the Magi, sometimes we will need to thwart those who would squelch the good news.
The good news is the news of light in a dark world; hope in a world that desperately needs hope; love in a world that seems to have forgotten the self-giving nature of that word. So much in our world these days tells us to look our for ourselves, but the gospel calls us to look outward toward a world that is in need.
So many folks think of religion as something which gives comfort to the believer, or is a purely spiritual matter, without realizing that Christian faith is designed to draw us our of ourselves, out of our community, into the world. Christian faith is designed to transform all of life, just as light seeps into every corner of a once dark room, or a once dark world.
The light has come to us - in Christ. We are called to share that light. We are called to BE that light for those who are in need.
Somewhere on one of my bookshelves is a slim little volume titled, “The Other Wise Man.” Written by a Henry VanDyke it tells the imaginary tale of a Magi who missed the other three as they gathered to travel in search of this new baby they were all seeking. He carried three gifts of his own for the child. In the end, his journey took him the rest of his life. Several times along the way he felt compelled to “spend” one of his treasures to help someone in great need. At the end of his life, after his treasures were gone and fatally wounded, he is lamenting the fact that he had never found and met the One he had been so desperately seeking. A voice tells him that he was mistaken, that he had indeed met the Christ - more than once in fact. He had met the Christ in each and every situation of need to which he had responded in love.
May we be graced by the light of Christ to see the need -
May we be graced by Christ to respond to the need in care and love.
Amen.
Isaiah 42: 1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10: 34-43
Matthew 3: 13-17
Almost everybody loves a baptism. Except perhaps the nervous parents who hope the baby won’t cry too loudly when the water hits his or her head, or won’t spit up on the minister, or won’t rip off her glasses or will smile and look adorable in grandma’s 100 year old lace christening gown. Older brothers and sisters like to help by telling the minister the baby’s name or holding the candle. When I carry the babies around the church to introduce them to their Christian family, many of you folks in the congregation like to see those babies up close.
I remember the time when I was carrying an 18th month old boy around the church and he had a bit of a crisis when he lost sight of his mother as I went behind a wall at the back of the church so that I could go up the other aisle. He put his little hand out and he cried plaintively, “Mamma”. Many had a good chuckle over little Joshua losing his mamma. I could tell many funny stories of things older children have said or done but you probably remember a few yourselves.
When we get right down to it, we all know that baptism is not about being cute and adorable. We know it isn’t something that we do for our children that is over and done with on the one occasion. We know that it’s not like the inoculations or safety equipment we need to raise babies and transport them safely. We know it has nothing to do with the answer to the question, “What if something happens to my baby?” Baptism does not offer us any kind of magical protection. When it comes right down to it we know these things but we aren’t always sure we can articulate what baptism is about.
Today’s reading about Jesus baptism causes us to reflect on our own baptism and our practice of baptism as a community of faith.
Being baptized or having a child baptized is about making a commitment to the ways of God as revealed in Jesus.
Baptism is about a commitment to these ways within the community of faith. The placing of the baptismal font at the front of the worship space is a sign that baptism is part and parcel of our identity as Christians and as Christian community. The font is not just an extra flower stand or a piece of furniture to be brought out when we need it, it is part of who we are.
Baptism is the acceptance and acknowledgement of God’s love for all of us. Baptism is our “yes” to God.
Baptism in the triune name of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is ecumenically recognized by most major denominations and it is not repeated if one decides to “change” denominations. In other words, if one is baptized in one church it is recognized in most other churches.
We baptize, not specifically because Jesus was baptized, but because we were commanded to do so. The church has initiated its members by baptism since the time of Pentecost.
However, we must remember that baptism itself was not invented by the Church. Baptism of converts to Judaism was probably common by the time of outspoken wilderness preacher commonly referred to as “John the Baptist”. It seems though that John’s baptism was different. John called his fellow Jews to participate in a baptism of repentance in order to prepare themselves for the “One who was to come”. We are told that many people, including religious leaders, came out to hear what John had to say and to see what he was doing. He expected them to see the error of their ways and to be baptized. Biblical evidence here and elsewhere tells us that some of these leaders didn’t think they needed such a baptism and they didn’t like he fact that so many were enamoured with John. Of course, this did not deter John.
As someone who offered a baptism of repentance in order to prepare the people for the “one who was to come”, John did not feel worthy to baptize Jesus, who WAS the “one who was to come”. Jesus insisted that it was necessary “in order to fulfill all righteousness”. And so it happened.
In Matthew’s gospel we are told that Jesus’ baptism was immediately followed by the descent of a dove and an audible statement that recognized Jesus as his son and announced that his favour rested on him.
In Mark and Luke the voice seems to be for his benefit alone, with his true identity being revealed to the masses later; but here in Matthew it is for all to hear. In all of the accounts the message is the same: Jesus is “God’s beloved son” and “God is pleased”. Elsewhere in the Bible it would be stated, “Those with the ears to hear, let them hear”. Those with the ears to hear and invited to pay attention to this important message about Jesus’ identity and mission.
Even though Jesus’ baptism took place when he was an adult, and was not “Christian Baptism”, there is a great deal here for us to take note of. What I want to pay particular attention to are the two phrases, “You are my beloved” and, “In you I am pleased”. As brothers and sisters in Christ; as followers in the way of Jesus we are given the same promise and the same identity. As followers we are given the same mission.
I think that one of the saddest things in life is to live without knowing the love of another person or of many other people.
I was watching a tv show the other night that focussed on the lives of a group of teenagers at a high school. One of the things that came up was a website (which I hoped was fictitious) that was called something like “slam book dot com”. On “slam book” the teens could be anonymous and write nasty things about anyone they wanted to and what they said could be either fact or fiction or a mixture of both. Once it went the rounds of the school it wouldn’t matter whether it was true or not. Sites like this fictitious “slam book” may make the one posting feel better, for a moment, but it certainly does nothing for those about whom they write. We know that the teenage years are a difficult transition time from childhood to adulthood and teens make lots of mistakes as they try and grow up and become their own unique individuals. One of the things that teens need to learn as they grow up is that making someone else feel small will not really make them feel better about themselves.
Baptism is about recognizing and accepting God’s great and unconditional love for each one of us.
I am told that Martin Luther the great church reformer and leader would gain strength during times of difficulty by reminding himself with these words, “I am baptized. I am baptized.”
As much as it may be a comfort and a strength in times of difficulty, baptism is also a risky exercise. It is an exercise in trust, if we take it seriously. I’m not talking about trusting the minister not to drop the baby. I’m talking about trusting that Gos’s Spirit will both lead and equip those who choose to follow.
I read a story some time ago of parents who phoned the chaplain of the university their daughter was attending. Their daughter had become involved with one of the Christian groups on Campus and planned to take a few years off after graduation and go to Africa to work with in an impoverished community. They had sent her to school to become a lawyer and they blamed the chaplain for this change of plans.
The chaplain would accept no blame. Instead he turned the tables on them and asked, “ Did you take her to church? Did you have her baptized? Did you take her to Sunday School? Did you encourage her to seek confirmation?”
To each of these questions they answered, “yes”.
The chaplain then asked, “So why are you upset that she is following what she perceives to be God’s call to her?”
The parents replied, “We didn’t want her to take it THAT seriously!”
Like Jesus we should not succumb to the temptation to see our identity as God’s child as an automatic protection against harm if we do stupid things, like jumping off the pinnacle of the temple, but we should always keep in mind that baptism is meant to be taken seriously enough that it could change our lives.
Baptism calls us to be more than we could ever be on our own. In baptism we recognize and accept that God has laid his hand on us and called us “beloved children” and has also said, “follow me and I am with you”.
Baptism is our human response to God’s action; it is our yes to God. While baptism itself happens only once, we live out our baptism every day of our lives.
Let us remember our baptism and let us seek to live in the strength of the knowledge that we are God’s beloved children and that God is with us always.
Amen!
Isaiah 49: 1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
1 Corinthians 1: 1-9
John 1: 29-42
Approximately 2200 years ago there was a king named Hiero II and he wanted Archimedes to find a way to determine if the crown he had commissioned was pure gold or had been mixed with silver. According to legend, Archimedes discovered the principle while lounging in his bathtub. When he realized what he had found he is said to have run through the streets naked shouting “eureka”, which means “I found it, I found it”. What he discovered was that a pound of gold takes up less space than a pound of silver because it is more dense. So all he had to do to answer the king’s question was to take a block of pure gold of the same weight as the crown and immerse both in water and see if the crown displaced more water than the known sample.
In Archimedes case he did not “find” something that was lost, in the same way we might look for a missing sneaker, but he discovered something that was there all along; he just had to realize what he was looking at.
The gospel lessons for this season of the year are about people making discoveries about Jesus and about passing the word along.
There is a food column in the Guardian, in the summertime at least, written by a former teacher of mine, Bob Gray. He and his wife go out to eat and then tell the Guardian readers about the food, unique aspects of the restaurant, the names of the servers and owners and indeed the entire dining experience, including the price they paid. The last place he wrote about last summer, Doc Johnsons in Montague came highly recommended.
The animated movie, Ratatouille, is based on the premise that a bad review from a “critic” can kill a restaurant or make it great. The humour of this movie, of course, comes from the fact that the head chef is controlled by a rat, sitting under his “toque blanche” , his chef’s hat. The rat has been guided by the teaching of a famous, but now dead chef, who said, “anyone can cook”. It’s a good family movie; I recommend it.
“Come and See” is the premise of any good advertising campaign. “Come and See our Gentle Island”. “ Come and See the bargains at my store”. “Come and see this great movie”. However the savvy consumer must decide if the product advertised meets the hype and whether or not to shop at that establishment.
The gospel for today involves a series of these “come and see” pronouncements. The One who called John to baptize, also told him how to recognize the Messiah. John told Andrew who went to Jesus who Jesus basically told him to come and see and make up his own mind. Then Andrew told his bother Simon. And so we see the discovery of the Messiah spreading.
Somewhere in my house is a brochure telling me how CAA (the Canadian Auto Club) can save me money. For example, I can save money on my Aliant cell phone and on passes for the Confederation Bridge. One of the ways I can save money is to convince other people to sign up for CAA. I think I get a $5 credit for each new member. If I get enough people to sign up and to tell CAA that I told them about it, I get a free membership that year.
I know that in some churches the Sunday School students are things such as chips and chocolate bars if they bring someone else to Sunday School. However that can backfire as when one of the Sunday School students from my church felt “used” when she went with her friend to Sunday School and realized that all her friend wanted was the chocolate bar.
I don’t know about Dundas but when I lived in Rexton I had regular visits from Jehovah’s Witnesses. Going door to door is part of what is expected of those who them. All young Mormons are required to go on a “mission” usually between high school and university. If someone in your family joins the Mormons they can be quite pushy in their attempts to get you to follow. A colleague of mine allowed his daughter to go with a friend to her Sunday school at a nearby church and then regretted it because they were phoned twice a week for months and months to try and get her to come back.
In the United Church we are reluctant to talk about our church or our faith to others and I think that one of the main reasons is that we are afraid of being regarded as “too pushy”. Yet there are ways to put out the welcome mat that are inviting but not pushy and “in your face”.
One of the more controversial decisions made by the United in the last few years is the internet and print ‘ad campaign’ which asks people to reflect on and comment on provocative “posters” which strike at the heart of people’s values and assumptions. In publishing the ads the church is not so much stating what it believes, or does not believe, but is instead hoping to promote discussion. Through discussion people will be prompted to consider spiritual and faith issues in new ways. The hope is that people who may be on the fringes of the church will have their interest in matters of faith sparked and be drawn to participation in a local faith community.
Apparently one of the most common perceptions about churches, from the point of view of people who have left the church is that they are anti-intellectual, bigoted and close minded, among other things. The campaign seeks to show the United Church as a community which is open, inclusive and not afraid of the hard topics. An essential part of the campaign is to teach churches how to be more welcoming and open.
An internet colleague by the name of Frank Fisher sent a sermon around on the internet yesterday via the PRCL preaching list out of Louisville Kentucky . In this sermon three ministers, Pastor Pyre E Brimstone, Pastor Netta Prophet and Pastor Ima Servant gathered together at the local ministerial association to discuss methods of evangelism. Pastor Brimstone’s method was to convince everyone if they weren’t in church they would burn in the fires of hell. It didn’t catch on.
Pastor Prophet’s method was to try and convince everyone that tithing was a sure fire guarantee of great prosperity. They were arrested and charged with fraud.
Pastor Servant talked about small groups which pray together and serve others. In Pastor servant’s church the people invite others to “come and see” for themselves what is going on. Pastor servant said, “At first it seemed nothing much was happening. But over time we all found our lives were being changed. We found we were getting closer and closer to God. The closer we got to God the more we changed and the more we wanted to serve God's people. The more we wanted to be God’s people the more others wanted to become a part of our congregation. ." From Frank’s sermon
The other minister could not see how this got people in the door and Pastor Servant replied, “I think God gets them in the door.”
When we are thinking about our church and about outreach we need to ask ourselves the question, “What do others see when they look at our church and church community?” It’s not about image as much as it is about integrity, credibility and mission. We need to ask ourselves “how do people see us?” We to ask, “What do our priorities as a church and as individuals say about our commitment to the gospel.
Today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah talks about the weighty and important task about being a light to the nations. The church is also charged with this mission. Like the people to whom Isaiah first spoke, we often think that we are given what we have for our own benefit alone. However, we are called to be this light that draws others to us and to the God we worship and serve. It is no small task but we are given the grace to accomplish it.
When we say to others, “Come and see”, what do they see? It’s up to us to follow Jesus of Nazareth in such a way that they see a community of love, openness, commitment and integrity that is willing to give everything for the way of Jesus of Nazareth. We cannot hoard what we have been given; God’s love and grace is for everyone. Let us pray and work so that those who come to have a look can see it and in seeing it can know it to be true.
Amen!
Isaiah 9: 1-4
Psalm 27:1, 4-9
Corinthians 1: 10-18
Matthew 4: 12-23