A Magi s Journey a sermon by the Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak preached on January 4, 2015 First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, a Unitarian Universalist congregation Tuesday is the 12th day of Christmas, the official end, for some, to the holiday season. It is also Epiphany that celebrates the visit of the three kings or Magi to the newborn baby Jesus. Those visit stories are my favorite parts of the Christmas story - the visit by the shepherds and then the magi. I revisit and retell them each year not because I am celebrating the birth of my personal savior, nor to acknowledge certain miracles that prove some divinity. But the stories of these folks on the sidelines are where I find inspiration over and over again. If you were here on Christmas Eve, you heard our retelling of the birth narrative from another person on the sidelines, not a witness to actual events but someone who could stop on a cold winter s night and appreciate the wonder of the stars shining brightly and the glory of a new life coming into the world. Someone who, despite not knowing all the facts, would open the door - and the door to his heart - to whoever called. There are so many stories and legends that either begin or end with the story of this new born child. The essential meaning of Epiphany in the Christian tradition is the revelation of Jesus, the Christ, the Prince of Peace, as savior to the world. it is about manifestation, about finding, discovering and letting that discovery be known. Epiphany also celebrates the journey we have all set out upon. New Year s, marking a new start, invites a fresh look at our own journeys, our choices. We ask the questions one of the magi might ask, even as the charts were prepared and the boxes loaded with supplies: Where is this journey headed? what s next? how long will it take? when will we get there? what should I be looking for? In the end, there may not be sure answers and oftentimes, what we thought the point was, what we imagined we were seeking, ends up not being part of the journey s end point. The old stories and legends point us to deeper mysteries of the human heart, to the conundrum of our everyday live. We are each a magus of sorts like on of those magi, we journey individually and we journey as a community. We join up with others on a similar quest, sharing what we know; sharing our questions sharing our resources, ours strengths, our needs. And Epiphany is a reflection of a particular journey, and at the same time, every journey. I long been attached to a poem by T.S. Eliot that contrasts the pretty notions of the magi in their colorful robes with a more bitter take. So here is the poem - I invite you to reflect on the story he tells January 2015 Page 1! of! 5 Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak
The Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot 'A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.' And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped in away in the meadow. January 2015 Page! 2 of! 5 Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory. All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. Such a bitter, world-weary reflection what legend tells as a more magical journey. A hard time we had of it The realization that might embitter the heart. But have you ever felt that way? I know I have felt that odd, out-of-place feeling - a sense of disappointment that the journey, the whole of it or just a piece of it - has not led to what I expected. Perhaps I was never as bitter as that magi, but I have been left not as happy or contented as I might have wanted. January 2015 Page! 3 of 5! Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak
After all that, I think to myself, I thought I d feel a whole lot better, or much more pleased with the outcome. Coming to it, saying Is this it? Is that all there is? How do we go on if what we find is deeply disappointing or filled with such sorrow or regret? What if the journey revealed something I did not expect - leaving me with new conundrums to unravel? Leaving me no longer at ease in the old dispensation " For us, the invitation of the poem and the day is not to rest here, but to see what else is revealed. And it is a good practice for the new year, and for this time of transition within the congregation to be patient with the frustrations of the journey to understand the outcomes may well be different from the expectation the journey may be more difficult than expected, and yet may yield greater riches than we imagined. That there is something deeper there in the epiphany, beyond what we saw and what we experienced. For on this day, where the Prince of Peace is revealed to all the world - Jew and Gentile, Pagan and Christian and Atheist, and everything in between - we learn something new. Epiphany as moment of inspiration and revelation We are drawn into the journey - invited to step out in search of this manifestation or revelation. What will we find? gold, riches - the winning lottery ticket? The job of our dreams? the perfect soulmate? Of course, I would wish this for everyone who needs and seeks for such life-filling gifts. Yet the epiphany may be smaller than that, yet no less important. Carrying forward the theme of Christmas, it might be that we are called to open the door - the door of our hearts, as revealed through our eyes. It may be something that we take with us into the days ahead, looking into the faces of beloveds, of friends, of strangers. This manifestation of the divine is really seen in the face of the other. And in the face of the other, the infinite is glimpsed. The whole of creation is revealed. Can it be so simple? Perhaps the original Magi saw this, when they looked at that family in Bethlehem. A manifestation of the divine as seen in the face of the other. Not a divine being, an infant with a halo around his head, but the holy and the divine and the salvation of all humankind in the face of others. And perhaps as they looked at again at each other, with renewed eyes, they caught a glimpse of the infinite inch others faces. What did they carry back with them - was it a new way of being in the world? We would hope so. Unitarian Universalist minister Jane Rzepka wrote this about Epiphanies While religious purists surely lament that the word epiphany has wandered away from the crèche, I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy epiphanies on a more regular basis. Sometimes they re little. Really very little. Certainly I ve had my small share of sudden insights - flashes of lucidity whereby I unexpectedly overcome the software glitch, or it dawns on me in the nick of time that this person and that person are more than just friends, or I January 2015 Page 4! of! 5 Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak
finally figure out how to extract the key from the ignition of a rental car. But those are merely moments where the brain kicks in; they are not apprehensions of anything like the divine, however defined they are not epiphanies. To qualify as an epiphany, the experience has to point to the wonder of it all. They don t have to be about kings, these epiphanies of ours, or Jesus. It s enough that they glue us to something dear. This epiphany draws us to look upon one another - those we know and love and with whom we share deep familiarity... and those who we do not yet know - the stranger, the other... we look upon their faces and see there a reflection of something greater... the possibility that lies in each human heart. The reflection of our common humanity, the resilience of the soul. These are epiphanies of connection. But it is not some fleeting glance that is wanted here. This is not just an epiphany of recognition - it is also one of responsibility. To recognize the other through the bare encounter with the other s face carries the responsibility to practice compassion in each encounter each and every one, even when faced with hostility. Such an epiphany could lead to mutual understanding, even to reconciliation of estranged hearts. Or it can be a much smaller gesture - this epiphany may simply be a turning of our own heart - like that beckoning star of legend, that drew the magi forth onto the desert toward unknown destinations, with an unclear purpose. That star drawing us further towards making connections... connections that bring justice to a struggling world; that foster peace, if not globally then at least in our own small spheres of influence; connections that build and strengthen community. We are helping one another on the journey, even if we are not sure where this is all going putting aside the petty disagreements and the very real worries that plague our sleepless nights. Like the magi of legend, we gather what we need, we choose our companions, we prepare for the journey. And thence set out, looking out at the unknown but prepared as best we can be, knowing that there are gains and losses ahead of us, relationships to be built, love and care to be given and received, epiphanies great and small. We will encounter those moments of epiphany in each other. It is the face of our neighbors - our sisters and brothers. These faces are a summons... they call to us... we call to one another. The question is before us: how will you respond? Like a new year s resolution, ask yourself, as we make ready for the journey will you say yes to life? Will you? Yes? to life? Happy New Year! January 2015 Page! 5 of 5! Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak