by The Rev. Maxwell Grant

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

We've come to love the Christmas star so much. Even in the weeks before Christmas, you start seeing it everywhere. It's on bulletin covers and Christmas cards and the stole hanging around the preacher's neck.

A Christmas crèche may be part of your home or your church decorations, or it may not be...maybe your kids live halfway across the country, so you're leaving the stockings off the mantle this year, but by Herod's beard, you almost certainly have a star. Quite often, it's at the very top of the tree--that star--the highest point in the living room.

I remember the year when I was a kid, taking part in my Confirmation class, and I noticed for the first time that the starlight pictured on most of our Christmas cards was in the shape of the cross--a quiet reminder of what is to come--the silent night at what seems to be the end of the story.

That was my first encounter with the possibility that, if you think about it, there can be something ominous about the Christmas star. So it's interesting to note that Matthew's gospel seems to agree.

In a passage that some churches will read today and others will read on January 6th, Epiphany proper, Matthew describes the encounter between the wise men and King Herod. This is what Matthew says:

"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.'"

Then Matthew continues with these words:

"When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him."

And I can't help but wonder if King Herod, who, of course, gets so much so very wrong, actually gets at least part of this news strangely right. Because, at least, he understands that this rising star is big news. And he also recognizes that it is not good news for him.

But Matthew is quick to note that this goes beyond what some have seen as Herod's chronic "me, me, me"-ism. And it's also somehow beyond Herod's brutal collusion with the forces of empire, with its reflexive use of violence to promote its particular interests.

Because, as Matthew notes, Herod isn't the only one who looks at that star and sees something ominous hanging there. All Jerusalem agrees with him. That star is bad news.

We forget that for most of human history most people would have agreed. The ancient historian Josephus noted that a star stood over the city of Jerusalem just before its fall in 70 AD. And there were many who thought that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD had been caused by a comet. Likewise, the appearance of a star in the sky over England in 1066, just before the Battle of Hastings, was seen as a dark omen of what was to come. And in 1835, some people apparently even blamed a star for the fall of the Alamo.

So when we hear that Herod was frightened, "and all Jerusalem with him," it makes sense. Because, hey, when the heavens themselves begin to defy prediction, there is no telling what might happen.

Who knows, who knows, what other constellations might collapse--constellations of power, constellations of privilege, constellations of the possible and the impossible, of what we can imagine and what we've come to expect?

If all that collapses, where will that leave us? Who among us can say for sure that it will be better?

If everything changes, how will we know what to do?

That goes for Christians, too. We Christians have always talked a good game about praying and working for the new.

"For behold," it says in scripture, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth...."

"Behold, I am doing a new thing...."

"And he that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'" (Revelation 21:5)

"Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come." (2 Co 5:17)

So much of our God-talk points to the renovating power of God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. But is that really what we're seeking?

Sometimes when we speak of the new, I think what you and I mostly mean is something more along the lines, not of "new," but more like "improved."

So often, it seems as if we pray only for a vaguely optimized version of the here and now. The fact is, much of the time, even faithful people can't imagine a world that is much different from the one that we already have.

And that's the point: of course we can't. Of course, you and I can't. We can't. But God can. And God is longing to show us that vision, which is a vision for us, and for those we love, and for all people, and all Creation, and all time. God is longing to make us part of something that goes far beyond our shallow invocations of our hope in the new.

It seems important to name that as we begin another year, and we are thick in the season of New Year's resolutions. There is something so lovely, even holy, about naming our hopes for our lives, even when they are small hopes.

I don't know about you, but I've seen people quit smoking on the strength of a New Year's resolution. I've seen someone go from sitting on their couch to running a half-marathon on the strength of a New Year's resolution. I've seen someone finish a long-abandoned degree on the strength of a New Year's resolution.

These are all brave and holy acts, in their way. But, fundamentally, what makes them holy is that each one is not an end in itself, but rather, a new beginning.

These steps toward a different future may be small, they may be incremental, but they are not paltry or they are not shallow, because they are the first steps toward the new--the first steps toward a future that the dreamer can't quite see, but which the dreamer faithfully pursues, just the same.

Let's also not forget that they require tremendous trust--trust that the strength to see them through is there to be found, trust that it will get easier, trust that setbacks aren't the end of all our good intentions if we don't let them be.

Learning that kind of trust can mean nothing short of learning to see the world in a whole new way--and to see ourselves in a whole new way. Sometimes, it's nothing short of learning to live in the light of a new star.

In a very different context, the business writer Rosabeth Moss Kanter has written, "Success and failure are not events. They are trajectories."

That's true of resolutions, too. More deeply, it's true of God's engagement with us, and with all Creation. It's not just an event; it is a trajectory.

And that's what Herod and Jerusalem began to see as they looked out in the night sky and saw a new star blazing just above them. That star was on a trajectory so broad that it was on none of their maps. And it showed them, to their horror, that God's vision for Creation is on a trajectory so broad that what we think we know and what we think we understand about how things work is just the beginning of what's out there.

There is so much more in store for us. And thank God there is.

When Herod saw that star, all he could manage to see was bad news. But the point is that it's good news. Truth be told, it's the greatest news there is.

So, as a new year begins, as we move from a season of taking stock and move into a season of taking action, we are invited--you and I--to push beyond all the old rules and all the expectations of what can and can't be, what should and should not be.

We're invited to acknowledge our fears; and indeed, it's important that we do--but we're invited even more urgently to push past them and to imagine what it might mean to live in the light of that new star.

For the brokenhearted and the broken down and the plain, old flat broke--for all the ways that brokenness in all its forms can shrink our world until it has no room for anything but pain and worry--the light of that new star reveals a path, a path back to the world.

For the victims of injustice and oppression, the victims of those subtle and the not-so-subtle exclusions that some know all too well and others seem as if they cannot see at all, the light of that new star is a reminder, as the old song says, that change is gonna come.

For those who are afraid to attempt new things--too afraid of who might see, too afraid of who might laugh, too afraid of the smirk and the diminishing comment or the raised eyebrow, the light of that star reveals a gallery of other faces, eager to cheer, eager to help, and eager to undertake the journey, too.

Whatever our fears may be, Epiphany reminds us that we can live our lives in a new light. Epiphany reminds us that Jesus, the light of the world, has arrived in all his rule-breaking, table-turning glory, helping us to see all things, and even ourselves, in new ways.

It is the greatest news that ever was, is, or shall be.

"Take heart," Jesus says, "It is I; have no fear."

May you and I always seek to live in the light of his promise.

Amen.

Would you join me in prayer: Holy One, show us your light that our path to you might be clear and that the journey might be one of joy and service for us and for all people. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen.

by Gayle Somers

In today's Gospel, magi "from the east" ask, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?" Just by asking this question, they herald the New Light that has dawned on all men.

Gospel (Read Mt 2:1-12)

Today, St. Matthew tells us that after Jesus' birth, an event loaded with significance for the whole world took place. "Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem," looking for a king who had been recently born, the "king of the Jews." Who were these men, and why did they ask this question?

The "magi" were likely astrologers, considered at that time to be "wise men" because of their lifelong commitment to studying the skies and finding meaning in the cosmos. They probably came from Persia, and they possibly were part of a school of wise men over which the Jewish prophet, Daniel, had been given authority hundreds of years earlier. Daniel, as a young man, had been carried off by the Babylonians into exile, along with all the other Jews. This was the punishment God meted out to Judah for her covenant infidelity in the sixth century B.C. In that strange, pagan land, Daniel resolutely kept the faith of Israel, trusting in God as his only king and refusing to participate in the rampant idolatry. God called Daniel to be His prophet there, and He also gave him an extraordinary gift of interpreting dreams and visions. Daniel interpreted one of King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams that no one else in the realm could understand. In gratitude, the king made Daniel "chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon" (read Dan 2:48). If this school of wise men endured through the centuries (Daniel never returned to Judah), it was still in existence at the time of our story, although Babylon had long ago been conquered by the Persians. The school would likely have preserved a certain Jewish prophecy that would have been well-known to Daniel and of great interest to astrologers. Why?

During the Exodus (about 1500 B.C.), as Israel was making her way back to the Promised Land from bondage in Egypt, one of the kings who felt threatened by their advance commissioned a "seer" to pronounce a curse on the Israelites. Instead, he was moved by God to bless them, and he was given "the vision of the Almighty," as well as this prophecy: "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" (read Num 24:17). Here we have a Gentile prophet moved by God's Spirit to foretell the rise of a great king in Israel, but "not now." Every Jew knew this prophecy. Every Jew also knew that, of Jacob's twelve sons, the one who would rule with a "scepter" would be Judah: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples" (read Gen 49:10, emphasis added).

We have to wonder if Daniel, the fearless, faithful Jewish prophet and wise man in Babylon, made sure to preserve these prophecies in the school over which he presided, because their fulfillment would affect not only Israel but "all the peoples." If so, hundreds of years after Daniel lived, the magi from the east, upon seeing an unusually bright star in the night sky, knew they needed to make the long trek to Jerusalem. They wanted to pay homage to their newborn king.

See how disturbed Herod was by all this. Surely that is because another part of the prophecy about the rising star was that "Edom will be dispossessed" (Num 24:18). Herod was a non-Jew, an Edomite usurper to the throne in Jerusalem. No wonder he was worried! The wise men of Judah, when consulted by Herod concerning the place of the king's birth, knew where to find him: Bethlehem. This, too, had been prophesied long ago (read Micah 5:2). The magi made their way there, following the star. It appeared to "stop" over one particular house, so they entered and saw "the Child with Mary, His mother." They saw the fulfillment of the promise God had made to all people, not just the Jews, in the Garden of Eden. There He promised that "the woman" and her "seed" would take up, definitively, the battle waged against mankind by His enemy, the Serpent. The magi "prostrated themselves and did Him homage."

Of course they did!

Possible response: Lord Jesus, the magi brought You wonderful gifts in their adoration for You. What can I give You today that is worthy to do the same?

First Reading (Read Isa 60:1-6)

The prophet, Isaiah, had to preach God's judgment against Judah for her disobedience to Him, but he also preached great comfort to them as well. Here he speaks of a future glory in Jerusalem: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the LORD shines upon you." We see that the "light" is the LORD Himself, and, to announce its coming, Isaiah says to the city: "Upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears His glory." Such was the light of the star seen and followed by the magi. Isaiah also foresees a time when "the wealth of the nations shall be brought" to Jerusalem; men from outside Judah shall "come bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD." Israel's vocation had always been to serve as a "kingdom of priests" (read Ex 19:6). He chose them for the work of declaring His glory to all the nations on earth. Their constant disobedience prevented them from fulfilling this calling for much of their history, but Isaiah sees a time when Jerusalem "shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow." Surely this description perfectly fits what must have happened in that house in Bethlehem when the magi, under the star's great brightness over it, entered and presented theirs gifts to their infant King. God's restoration of Jerusalem, promised through Isaiah 700 years earlier, was now being fulfilled.

"Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem. Your light has come."

Possible response: Lord Jesus, grant me the perseverance of the magi to search out and follow Your light when darkness surrounds me.

Psalm (Read Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13)

The psalmist writes about, prophetically, the consummate King of Israel. King David was the man God chose to establish an enduring throne in Jerusalem. David was "a man after God's own heart," but although he led Israel to a kind of golden age in its history, he was only a foreshadowing of the king described in this psalm. This king is one who rules in justice and peace, who rescues the poor and has pity on the lowly. This king will receive tributes from other nations and "all kings shall pay him homage."

The magi, representing all the nations and kings outside Judah, found this king in Bethlehem. This king would preside over an eternal kingdom "not of this world." This king rules now over His kingdom, the Church, which includes people from every nation and tongue. Someday, when this king returns, what we say in our responsorial today will find its perfect fulfillment: "LORD, every nation on earth will adore You."

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6)

St. Paul speaks of what, in his day, was truly a "mystery" to his people, the Jews. In Israel's long history, she had been so weak in the face of the temptation to the idolatry practiced by Gentiles that those who desired to remain faithful to God kept strict separation from them. Even though Israel's vocation had always been to mediate as priests between God and all other peoples, by St. Paul's day, the Gentiles seemed like their enemies. However, with the coming of Jesus, all that changed. With their true king on His throne, salvation went out to all men everywhere, and St. Paul preached this Good News with gusto: "The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in Christ Jesus through the Gospel."

The magi in Bethlehem, as they adored their new king, were the first Gentiles to experience the unfolding of this great mystery, and St. Paul, many years later, became its first great evangelist.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for all people everywhere, even those who seem like Your enemies. Help me love them, too.

by Msgr. Charles Pope

There are so many wonderful details in the Epiphany story: the call of the Gentiles, their enthusiastic response, the significance of the star they seek, the gifts they bring, the dramatic interaction with Herod, and their ultimate rejection of Herod in favor of Christ.

In this meditation, I would like to follow these Magi in their journey of faith to become "Wise Men." As magi, they followed the faint stars, distant points of light; as wise men, they follow Jesus, who is the ever glorious Light from Light, true God from true God.

We can observe how they journey in stages from the light of a star to the bright and glorious Light of Jesus Christ. And, of course, to authentically encounter the Lord is to experience conversion. All the elements of this story ultimately serve to cause them to "return to their country by another route." Let's look at the stages of their journey from being mere magi to becoming, by God's grace, wise men.

Stage 1: The CALL that COMPLETES – The text says, When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."

Notice the identity of these individuals: they are labeled magi (μάγοι (magoi) in Greek) and are from the East.

Exactly what "magi" are is not clear. Perhaps they are learned men; perhaps they are ancient astronomers. We often think of them as kings, though the text of this passage does not call them that. It also seems likely that Herod would have been far more anxious had they been actual potentates from an Eastern kingdom. We often think of them as kings because Psalm 72 (read in today's Mass) speaks of kings coming from the East bearing gifts of gold and frankincense. However, for the record, the text in today's Gospel does not call them kings, but rather "magi."

Yet here is their key identity: they are Gentiles who have been called. Up until this point in the Christmas story, only Jews had found their way to Bethlehem. This detail cannot be overlooked, for it is clear that the Gospel is going out to all the world. This call completes the Church, which needs both Jews and Gentiles.

In today's second reading, St. Paul rejoices in this fact, saying, the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Eph 3:6). Because most of us are not Jewish by ancestry we ought to rejoice, for the call of these Magi prefigures our call.

Notice that God calls them through something in the natural world: a star. God uses something in creation to call out to them.

We do well to wonder what is the "star" that God uses to call each of us? Perhaps it is Scripture, but more typically God uses someone in our life in order to reach us: a parent, a family member, a friend, a priest, a religious sister, or a devoted lay person. Who are the stars in your life through whom God called you?

God can also use inanimate creation, as he did for these Magi. Perhaps it was a magnificent church, or a beautiful painting, or an inspirational song that reached you. Through something or someone, God calls each of us; He puts a star in our sky. These Wise Men, these Magi, followed the call of God and began their journey to Jesus.

Stage 2: The CONSTANCY that CONQUERS – Upon arriving in Jerusalem, the Magi find a rather confusing and perhaps discouraging situation. The reigning king, Herod, knows nothing of the birth of this new King. The Magi likely assumed that the newborn King would be related to the current king, so Herod's surprise may have confused them. And Herod seems more than surprised; he seems threatened and agitated.

Even more puzzling, Herod calls in religious leaders to get further information about this new King. They open the sacred writings and the Magi hear of a promised King. Ah, so the birth of this King has religious significance! How interesting!

But these religious leaders seem unenthusiastic about the newborn King, and after providing the location of His birth, make no effort to follow the Magi. There is no rejoicing, no summoning of the people to tell them that a longed-for King has finally been born, not even further inquiry!

So the wicked (Herod and his court) are wakeful while the saints are sleepy. How odd this must have seemed to the Magi! Perhaps they even thought about abandoning their search. After all, the actual king knew nothing of this new King's birth, and those people who did know about it seemed rather uninterested.

Ah, but praise the Lord, they persevered in their search; they did not give up!

Thanks be to God, too, that many today have found their way to Christ despite the fact that parents, clergy, and others who should have led them to Jesus were either asleep, ignorant, or just plain lazy. I am often amazed at some of the conversion stories I have heard: people who found their way to Christ and His Church despite some pretty daunting obstacles (e.g., poor religious upbringing, scandalous clergy, and poor role models). God sometimes allows our faith and call to be tested, but Those who persevere to the end will be saved (Matt 24:13).

To persevere is to open the door to wisdom, which often must be sought in spite of obstacles. This constancy is often what it takes to overcome the darkness and discouragements of the world.

Stage 3: The CONDESCENSION that CONFESSES – The text says, After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.

With what little information they have, the Magi set out and continue to follow the call of God through the star.

Note that they enter a "house." We often think of the Magi as coming that same Christmas night to the cave or stable, but it seems not; Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are now in a house. Apparently they have been able to find decent lodging. Has it been days or weeks since Jesus' birth? Regardless, it is likely not Christmas Day itself.

Notice, too, that they "prostrate" themselves before Jesus. The Greek word used is προσεκύνησαν (prosekunēsan), which means "to fall down in worship" or "to give adoration." This word is used twelve times in the New Testament and each time it is clear that religious worship is the reason for the prostration.

This is no minor act of homage or sign of respect to an earthly king; this is religious worship. It is a confession of faith. The Magi manifest faith! The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And these Magi are well on their way from being mere magi to being wise men!

But is their faith a real faith or just a perfunctory observance? It is not enough to answer an altar call or to get baptized. Faith is never alone; it is a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. So let's look for the effects of a real and saving faith.

Stage 4: The COST that COMES – There is a cost to discipleship. The Magi are moved to give three symbolic gifts that show some of what true faith includes. They are costly gifts.

Gold symbolizes all of our possessions. In laying this gift before Jesus, they and we are saying, "I acknowledge that everything I have is yours. I put all my resources and wealth under your authority and will use them only according to your will." A conversion that has not reached the wallet is not complete.

Frankincense is a resin used in incense and symbolizes the gift of worship. In the Bible, incense is a symbol of prayer and worship (e.g., Psalm 141). In laying down this gift, we promise to pray and worship God all the days of our life, to be in His holy house each Sunday, to render Him the praise and worship He is due, to listen to His word and consent to be fed the Eucharist by Him, to worship Him worthily by frequent confession, and to praise Him at all times.

Myrrh is a strange gift for an infant; it is usually understood as a burial ointment. Surely this prefigures Jesus' death, but it also symbolizes our own. In laying this gift before Jesus we are saying, "My life is yours. I want to die so that you may live your life in me. May you increase and may I decrease. Use me and my life as you will."

Yes, these three gifts are highly symbolic.

The Magi manifest more than a little homage to Jesus. They are showing forth the fruits of saving faith. And if we can give these gifts, so are we.

In their holy reverence for God is wisdom in its initial stage!

Stage 5: The CONVERSION that is CLEAR – The text says, And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Here, then, is essential evidence for faith: conversion. It is not enough to get "happy" in Church; we have to obey. These Wise Men are walking differently now. They are not going home by the same way they came. They've changed direction; they've turned around (conversio). They are now willing to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to life rather than the wide road that leads to damnation. They are going to obey Christ. They are going to exhibit what St. Paul calls the "obedience of faith" (Rom 1:5; 16:26). They have not just engaged in perfunctory worship; they are showing signs of a true and saving faith. They are not just calling out to Jesus, "Lord, Lord!" They are doing what He tells them (cf Luke 6:46).

No longer mere magi, they are now wise men!

So there it is. Through careful stages, the Lord has brought the Gentiles (this means you and me) to conversion. He called these Magi to wisdom. They remained constant, confessed Him to be Lord, accepted the cost of discipleship, and manifested conversion. Have you? Have I?

Walk in the ways of these Wise Men! Wise men still seek Him; even wiser ones listen to and obey Him. Are we willing to go back to our country by another route? Is ongoing conversion part of our journey home to Heaven? Epiphany means "manifestation." How is our faith made manifest in our deeds and conversion?

I have it on the best of authority that as the (now) Wise Men went home by another route, they were singing this gospel song:

It's a highway to heaven!
None can walk up there
but the pure in heart.
I am walking up the King's highway.

If you're not walking,
start while I'm talking.
There'll be a blessing
you'll be possessing,
walking up the King's highway.

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

Up until now, all has been quite humble. A donkey-ride to a dusty town south of Jerusalem. Hotel rooms all booked up. Giving birth in a stable and laying the baby in an animal’s feed trough instead of a cozy cradle.

Into this scene of obscure poverty suddenly bursts an exotic entourage from a far-off land. Dignitaries in dress uniform lavish the newborn with expensive gifts that seem out of place in the humble surroundings.

This event is so significant that it is accorded its own feast in the Roman liturgy, celebrated traditionally on Jan 6, immediately after the twelve days of Christmas. This solemn feast is called Epiphany, a word that means "manifestation" or "appearance."

For a fleeting moment, what seems to be no more than another crying baby of an indigent family "appears" for who He really is–the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The gifts he is given, prophesied in Isaiah 60:6, tell the story: gold fit for a king, incense for the worship of God, and myrrh, bitter yet precious, for the hero who will lay down his life for his people.

There are several important things to note about these prestigious visitors. They are Gentiles, not Jews. From the very beginning of his human existence, then, Jesus is clearly not just the Jewish messiah who has come to deliver the people of Israel from foreign oppression. No, he is the universal king, the ruler of all, who has come to tear down the hostile wall dividing Jew from Gentile, nation from nation.

If you’ve ever wondered what the word "Catholic" means, here we have it. Derived from Greek words meaning "according to the whole," it means that Christ did not come to establish some local religious sect for a select few, one "cult" among many. No, the Church he founded is "catholic" or universal, spread over the whole world, welcoming the whole human race into one nation, one family, under one King.

Something else is to be noted about these illustrious visitors. As Gentiles, they are pagans. In fact the term "Magi" is clearly linked to the word "magic." It was not in the Bible that they normally looked for wisdom (otherwise they would have known to go straight to Bethlehem). But in reward for their ardent though perhaps misguided search for truth, God led them to Christ anyhow, in His great mercy.

Ever since the days of Balaam, God has shown us that pagans can be mysteriously drawn to him and used by him, at times even through their own imperfect traditions of wisdom. If you go to the Sistine Chapel and study Michelangelo’s work, you can see evidence of this. Lining the top of one wall of the chapel are famous paintings of many of the Old Testament prophets. Opposite them are not New Testament apostles as one may expect. But rather, a row of the Sybils, the prophetesses of the ancient world, in whose oracles there were discovered shadowy allusions to a future savior-king. One of Michelangelo’s Sibyls has her mouth agape with astonishment, her eyes fixed on the fresco of the risen Christ at the back of the chapel. Indeed, the deepest desires of all peoples, the elements of truth found in all their religions and philosophies, are fulfilled in Christ.

by The Rev. Charles Henrickson

Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.
- Isaiah 60:1-6 (ESV)

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." Isaiah wrote these words 700 years before Christ, but he's talking about Christ, ultimately. And Isaiah is saying this to God's people, to Israel in the Old Testament, and to the church in the New Testament. That's us. God's word to us tonight is this: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."

Why is it so important that our light has come? Because otherwise we would be sitting in the dark. Isaiah says so: "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples." This is talking about spiritual darkness, not about the fact that that we have limited daylight at this time of year. Spiritual darkness--being in the dark about God and about ourselves and what life is really all about. That is the natural condition of mankind since sin entered the world. We're all just groping around in the dark, not knowing where we came from or where we're going or which is the right path to take. Even if we know the right way to go, we keep wandering off the path and getting lost. That describes the spiritual darkness that shrouds sinful mankind.

Look at how lost and clueless so many people are. Millions of people around the world. The Muslims, with their false God called Allah. Post-Christian Europe, which has become completely secularized and is suffering the consequences. Mormons, bamboozled by the false teachings of Joseph Smith. The people who follow false teachers like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. Atheists and agnostics and post-modernists, who have no interest in what they disparagingly call "organized religion." They all have lost their way. They all are fumbling around in the dark. So much spiritual darkness to go around.

But they are not the only ones. Before we got so proud and haughty, let's take a look at our own darkness. Israel of old was suffering the consequences of their own dalliance with darkness. They thought they knew better than what the prophets were preaching. They became like all the other nations around them, thinking they could go it on their own, without listening to God's word. As a result, they were driven out of the land and taken into exile. The depressing darkness of the Babylonian Captivity fell upon the people, and they suffered from their own foolishness.

We do that, too, don't we? Even as God's people, the church, we fall into the old ways, into the ways of the world. We tune out God's word, warning us against wrong turns and dead ends. We listen to the siren song of the world, luring us to steer in that direction, and we end up crashing on the rocks. We indulge our flesh and our desires, even when we know it's wrong. That's dancing in the dark. That's stepping out of the light and turning back to where we should not go. And we all do it.

We need to be called back to the light. And that's what Isaiah is doing for us. His message reminds us of who we are and who it is that came for us: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you."

Isaiah here is telling us that we have been called out of darkness and into the Lord's marvelous light. We have been set apart, to belong to the Lord, to live as his people. We have an identity and a purpose in life. Do you know that? Do you see yourself, do we see ourselves, in that way? That we have a special calling, that we do not belong in the dark anymore.

How did this happen? Because of what the Lord has done. He sent his light to shine upon us. He is the light who dwells among us. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. A star led the Wise Men to where the child was, and they were overjoyed when they saw his face. Christ is shining out with the light of life, even on this dark night in January.

In Christ, we see God for who he is for us. We see a gracious God in the face of Christ. Otherwise, we would not know God as he wants to be known. We would be lost, knowing that there must be a god or gods up there somewhere, and we would feel a sense of guilt and separation and even hatred or resentment toward God. But we wouldn't know how to fix it. And we couldn't, anyway.

So God comes and does the job for us. He sends his only-begotten Son, in our flesh, the little baby named Jesus. "Where is he who is born king of the Jews?" In a humble town, in a family of humble means, not where you would expect a king to be found. But there he is. Like he will be later, in another place you would not expect a king to be found--hanging on a cross, dying. And darkness covered the land as he died. Jesus will die for the sins of the world. The darkness falls on him, not us. But that light, his light: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Christ rises from the dead, and now he shines out with the light of life. New life and everlasting life, righteousness and resurrection, are yours in Christ.

The little child in the little town, humble and not what you would expect, yet he is the light of the world. And God directs some foreigners, some outsiders, to make a long trek to find him. For this Jesus is not just the king of the Jews. He is the king of all peoples, of all nations. He's the king of the Gentiles, too. And God wants everybody to know it.

Isaiah saw this coming, the nations coming to meet the Messiah: "And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. . . . A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD."

This is a happy day! Epiphany is a joyous occasion. What a joy it is to know you have a Savior, when you've been sitting in darkness. This changes everything. Praise the Lord, I saw the light! And so did you. You've been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, given you in your baptism. The Spirit will lead you in the light, and back to the light, whenever you drift off the path. He does this by God's word, which you need. A regular diet of Word and Sacrament--that's what you need to stay healthy this year. The Feast of the Epiphany is a good start.

And so now this is your time to shine. You and I--we Christians shine like stars in a world of thick darkness. "Let your light so shine among men that they see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven." Let people see Jesus in you and through you. With your deeds and your words. Are there people you know--friends, relatives, associates, neighbors--are there people in your circle of relationships for whom you could be a star leading them to Jesus? Leading them here, to the church, where Jesus is? Ask God to help you let your light shine. Not that you manipulate people. But that you manifest Jesus. So that you love and serve your neighbor with the love that flows through you as a Christian.

That, dear friends--that is how you "arise and shine," even in a cold and dark January. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you."