Epiphany! (January 7 Sermon)
Manifestation! Revelation! Realization! (Pause) Epiphany!
The word epiphany means something has manifested, something has been revealed, something has been realized!
It is a word we use in everyday language, and in everyday language it is a good one, isn’t it?
When someone says, “I’ve had an epiphany,” we know they have had a moment of clarity, an Aha moment, if you will.
And in the Christian tradition, epiphany is a particularly special word because it points to the time when Jesus was made known to the world!
The angels sang their songs of glory, the shepherds bowed down in praise, and now! Now, the magi were coming to find this baby, this royal child!
But who were the magi? The scripture passage today tells us that they were wise men from the east, and they came to Jerusalem.
Meaning, while we do not know if they were the people we often assume them to be, for example, in the words of the theologian William Herzog, magicians, astrologers, or perhaps courtly priests serving the rulers of Persia, we do know one thing.
We know they were not from Jerusalem. They were from outside Israel, which is Matthew, the gospels writer’s way, of indicating that Jesus is a gift to all God’s children, not just some of God’s children.
And we also know from the gospel passage today, that when the magi arrived in Jerusalem to Herod’s palace, upon hearing their news, Herod and all of Jerusalem with him were afraid!
Herod was so terrifying a ruler that ALL of Jerusalem were afraid of him. The sages, teachers, scribes, and chief priests were paralyzed by fear of Herod.
Of course, we know that Herod was a malevolent ruler who did not hesitate to kill innocents who get his way.
It was Herod who, when he did not hear back from the magi upon their return home, had all boys years two and younger killed, in hopes of killing Jesus, another threat to this throne.
It is such a horrible part of the Christian story that the Church commemorates the deaths of these innocent children still on December 28th each year.
So we see in this story two major and rival groups: the magi, who for reasons we’ll never know, trusted that the star in the east pointed to something, someone so important that they took up their things and followed it,
and Herod and the other leaders of Jerusalem, who paralyzed by fear, rejected the message of the magi and allowed the slaughter of innocent children.
Let us pause and ask, where is God working in this story of the Epiphany?
Again and again in scripture, God directly and indirectly tells us not to be afraid. Gabriel to Mary, another one of God’s angels to Joseph, the angels to the shepherds in the fields. Do not be afraid.
Based on our knowledge of scripture, then, it seems God is working through the Magi.
These men from a far away land were the ones that God was working through. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and perhaps God knew that because the scribes, chief priests and others were so overshadowed by their fear of Herod,
they could not hear the good news of the birth of Jesus in the way the Magi could.
The Magi point us toward God and Herod points us away from God.
Today, there are still Magi and Herods. There are people who believe, even against all odds, in the reality of something great, and something greater than themselves or their comprehension.
And there are people who, so consumed by fear, cannot see God’s goodness in the world.
Of course, fear is not always a bad thing. Fear stops us from crossing the street when a bus is coming, fear protects us from going into dark alleys alone at night. That's healthy fear.
But fear like Herod exuded was fear that prevents God’s love from being known more fully in this world.
There are many people I can think of who cause me anxiety and fear. There are people who come to mind who cause anxiety and fear for the world.
Sometimes, I feel like it is easier to see the detractors than those radiating God’s goodness.
But despite the many detractors there are people who radiate God’s goodness. People who despite fear, hold forth and proclaim God’s word, sometimes like the Magi, against all odds.
If you have visited my office, you may have noticed that on the bulletin board above my desk there are several photos.
Some of the photos are of very famous people, like Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr., for example.
And others may seem more obscure, like the reverend Pauli Murray, who was an activist, legal scholar, and one of the first Black women ordained to the Episcopal Church.
My maternal grandmother is up there.
Also present is a photo of three sisters who were martyred because of their efforts to end the tyrannical regime in the Dominican Republic in the mid-19th century. There are photos of Oscar Romero of El Salvardor, and saints Francis and Claire of Assisi.
I call them my Great Cloud of Witnesses, which is a scriptural term found in the Letter to the Hebrews.
The great cloud of witnesses are those who went before us and who in the words of one writer are, “the heroes of our faith … They don't sit in heaven watching us … the lives they lived are [a] witness to us,” on how to follow God.
I really could add a picture of the Magi to my Great Cloud of Witnesses wall. The Magi lived lives of faith that are a witness to us.
Witness of goodness that can come when we are not led by fear, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing something we think we cannot live without, like Herod did.
The Magi point us towards God. The Magi challenge us to follow God’s star even when we are not sure where it will lead us, to trust that God will not and does not lead us astray.
My great cloud of witnesses remind me that despite the many Herods of the world there are people who point me towards God. There are people whose lives witness the goodness that comes from following God.
It may not be easy to follow God, but it is worth it to radiate God’s goodness in this world. We build up God’s glory when we live our lives pointing towards God.
Perhaps you are like me and feel like there are many examples of people who take you away from God. People like Herod who cause fear and anxiety in you. But who are the Magi in your life?
Who are the people, whether here with us now, or those who went before us, who point you towards God?
Who call you back to God?
Who remind you that despite fear, God’s benevolence and righteousness are made manifest, revealed, and realized through Epiphany?
