Epiphany Sunday January 5, 2019 Isaiah 60:1-6/Matthew 2:1-12 Hovering Around Love Joy Douglas Strome Prayer for Illumination: O God of Magi and Peasant, of all that shines a light on our way, of all that offers blessing to us this day---enter into this time of reflection with us, that we might learn from you we pray. Amen. I d like to invite children to come forward now to help me with my sermon. Today is Epiphany Sunday and I thought we d have some fun with that. Epiphany is a big word that we don t use too much except this Sunday in church, but we might use it in our regular talk when we say we ve had an epiphany about something---when we ve understood something in a new way. Epiphany comes from this Greek word Epiphaneia, and it means manifestation or appearance. This is the day in our church calendar where we celebrate the wise men who came to see Jesus they had an epiphany that day. Along with the celebration, in some parts of the church and the world there are some interesting customs that go with this day that I thought it might be fun to learn about. So in some traditions Epiphany is the day when we bless our house, the place where we are visited by Jesus. It s the start of a new year, and so we start the new year with a house blessing. That blessing can happen in a couple of ways, and we are going to do them all right now, and hope that you will take these ideas home and do them in your own house later today. One idea is to chalk the door, date and the letters C M B like this: 20 + C + M + B +19. The letters CMB stand for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar---those are the names of the kings, some believe. Next, we are going to sprinkle the door with some holy water. Well, in our tradition as Presbyterians, we don t have special water that s more holy than any other water, but I did bring out the silver dish we do our baptisms in to try this out. (sprinkle the door) Finally, our church door is important to us because people come through it for all kinds of reasons. List some with me: weddings/baptisms/children s programs/funerals/church each Sunday/meals/music So we are going to read a blessing for the door that helps us remember how special this room is to us all. God of doors and homes and sanctuaries, bless this home this year and every year. Bless all who come and go through this door, both those who live here and those who visit. May all who enter through this door come in peace and bring joy. May all who come to this door find a welcome and love. May the love and joy in this home overflow and spread into the community and the world. (Carolyn Brown) So, now I m hoping that you will go home and make a list of all the special ways that your house is used and why you are hoping that 2019 will be a good year for your home or apartment and write a blessing just for your house to celebrate Epiphany, epiphaneia, the day when the kings discovered who Jesus was, and because they went on to tell others, we all discovered who Jesus was too. Happy Epiphany! (return to seats)
So, ready to dig into the story that got this all started? Let me remind us all that when we hear the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, the lessons come from several places in the Bible. We read from the prophets, like we did today, prophets who had no idea about Jesus, but whose words made sense to the first Christians in their context. That God might appear in the midst of a period of great darkness was an ageless condition, we might surmise. In any case, we read from the prophets to set the stage for Jesus arrival. The world is a dark place, and hope seems scarce, and into that the gospel writers weave the story of Jesus birth. Luke is the gospel that gives us the rich detail.. We hear from Luke about angel visitations to Mary and Elizabeth, and the shepherds. We have wonderful lines that many of us have memorized..in those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered..and so on.and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And we hear from the gospel of Matthew, who fills in the details about the lineage of Jesus, connecting him firmly to his Jewish past, and then helps us understand the plight of Joseph, who ultimately does the right thing by the holy family, and after a much abbreviated line about Jesus arrival---jesus was born in Bethlehem---we plunge right in to the story of the wise ones.kings, astrologers, magi.the descriptors are varied in both translation and tradition. Following their visit Matthew presses right into the story of Herod s retaliation, and the little family s narrow escape to Egypt. So Matthew s version has its unique turn on the story, albeit brief. It takes all of those authors to round out the story we sing about, the narrative that drives our faith, and plants the seed about just who this Jesus is. The text for today from Matthew is part of his shorthand account, his quick way of explaining Jesus start in the world.one that both Mark and John feel no need to cover. So what about Matthew s message is unique and powerful. What about Epiphany are we going to take away today to our own homes for digestion and reflection and perhaps newfound ritual? There s a lot we don t know, and maybe don t need to know, but of course we want to know.. We don t know really how many there were, or really where they came from, or what their names
were, or how they happened on to this star, or if they met somewhere along the way, or did they maybe represent all the known corners of the world, or were they skilled in the study of stars, or kings, or wizards! But the text is clear about three things. The gifts they offered were gold, frankincense and myrrh. That prominent detail stands out among all the vague description of these characters. Gold has the same significance then as it does now. It s precious. It s lavish. It s a gift you give a king. So all the symbolism caught up in the gift of gold sends the clear message that these guys were looking for a king, and the handover of the gift was how they paid that quest homage. Frankincense isn t a household item for most of us, it comes from the resin of trees. This was a costly gift too, and frankincense was used in religious rituals. It was added to a ritual to symbolize the sacred meeting between the priest in the temple and God who meets them there. So the gifting of frankincense transfers that significance onto this child, the one who is now to be for all time the new meeting place for humans and the divine. Myrrh is a resin from trees too, but was associated with funerals, used in the preparation of a body for burial. Remember myrrh is cited in New Testament literature around the death of Jesus. That the kings would give this gift at his birth points to the reality that even Jesus life will be short, that our time on this earth is brief, and that Jesus will share that with us. From these symbolic gifts given to Jesus as a child, Jan Richardson raises three questions for us as we consider this part of the story again at the beginning of our calendar year. The gift of gold invites us to consider the question: Who were you born to be? Jesus was born to be a king. The gift signaled that to all who re-told this story. But how about us? Who have been exposed to this Christ? Who are we born to be? This isn t a one-time question and receiving a gift of gold won t answer it. Discovering who we were born to be is an enduring quest, one that needs our attention year after year, as we take on this story for ourselves. We were born to be children of God. That s the bottom line, the quick mantra. But it s more than that. Being born as a child of God has implications, and we have to each discover that for ourselves.and often we need reminders. Consider yourself reminded.
The gift of frankincense, the gift that recognized Jesus as the one who is a meeting place of humanity and divinity, invites us to ponder the question: How do you want to encounter God? It s easy for us to say we meet God here at church. It s harder to ask ourselves what we want from that? To come through these doors, blessed and rightly sprinkled means being prepared week in and week out to sit down next to the divine presence of God, and with a dip in that well, to take that out into the world with us. To ask ourselves are we open to that encounter in more places than one is a good challenge? In many ways, we dance around this important idea----that God s sacred divine nature is accessible to us, that we can touch it, that we can taste it, that we can see it, that we can think about, that we have access to God----that is one of the true miracles of this story and the takeaway that keeps the story alive forever. We have access to God----and when we don t feel it, we have to, have to, have to.reach out to those who do..and find strength in another s insights. To believe that this miracle can be experienced alone, all the time, over the course of a whole life time of ups and downs, and struggles and celebrations is folly. It is in fellowship with others that we find strength to believe across the long haul of a life. Finally, the myrrh. The gift of myrrh, the gift that recognized that even for Jesus, earthly life is brief, a twinkling of an eye, invites us to reflect on the question: What is your relationship with time? How do you enter into your days in a way that helps you discern who you are and helps you seek God? Mary Oliver ask this question in another way that will sound familiar: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? It is New Year s after all. Time to assess where we ve been, where we are, and where we want to be? I wonder if Jesus had those kind of thoughts? Did he make resolutions? Set goals? Did he carry around the myrrh his whole life, at the ready? Who knows?. But these poignant reminders built into the story of our faith are so powerful. What is our relationship with time? I m so busy --just can t be the only response to that question. Busy is real, but it isn t sustainable. (pot calling kettle black, I know). What if we re-committed to using our time here on Sundays to think together about that question? What is my relationship with time? Can I carve out one hour a week
to be in God s presence and ponder how my life will respond to that gift? I don t know about you, but pushing that to-do list to the back of my head is like pushing down a mack truck. Our one wild and precious life deserves intention, of that I m sure even when I can t always accomplish it. The kings deliver that message loud and clear with the gift of myrrh. The end of your life is real. Don t squander it. So..Who were you born to be? How do you want to encounter God? What is your relationship with time? Do those three questions, and the discussion around them have you famished? It s hard work. You may well be starved. Come to the table and fill up your tank for the journey. The bread will sustain you. The juice will quench that deep thirst that has no name. Your table companions will be the glue in times of unraveling. Come to the table. It is set and ready. Epiphaneia, Christ s manifestation is here for real. Thanks be to God. Amen.