Epiphany Sunday

EPIPHANY:  CHRIST WITH US!

January 6, 2013

Thomas B. Cundiff

 

Isaiah 60: 1-6

Matthew 2: 1-12

 

               

             The Ingathering of the Dispersed

60 Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

2 For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

3 Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

6 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 proclaim the praise of the LORD.

 

Matthew 2:  1-12  //   The Visit of the Wise Men

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah  was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:  6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd  my people Israel.’ ”  7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men  and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that

I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,  until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,  they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

 

                                                             I.

 

This is Epiphany Sunday, January 6^th, always the 12^th day after Christmas.  This is the day we look at the scriptural story of the journey of the wise men from the East, the Magi who travel a long distance to pay homage to Jesus the new born king.  Epiphany is the celebration of God’s manifestation or self-revelation to the world in and through Jesus Christ.  

 

Historians agree that this trip of the Magi, taking up to a year, was a dangerous trip.   Jesus would soon be a toddler.  Through the deceit of King Herod threatened by the idea of a ‘New Born King’, he wanted these Magi to disclose the location of this threat to his kingdom so that he could be killed. 

 

While the story today appears to end with the Magi presenting precious gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh to the little baby Jesus….wait!  Read on a few more verses!  The real end to the story is when the Magi are warned in a dream about the devilish plans of Herod to kill Jesus.  In fact Herod has ordered all children living near Bethlehem who are two years and younger to be killed.  So as the Magi flee in a different direction to avoid Herod, so also do Joseph and Mary pack and flee to Egypt until Herod dies. 

 

Now, today after celebrating Jesus’ birthday one more time, as this divine birth has been celebrated for centuries:  For what do we search?   What do we seek from Jesus the adult?  For what are we searching, seeking, in affirming?  What does Jesus give us that can be shared with others?

 

II. Baptized in Christ

 

Because this is the season for resolutions, the first resolution I would suggest making today as a gift for Jesus and a gift to yourself:  Remember Your Baptism!  

 

One of the first things Jesus does upon his return from Egypt is to move to the region of Galilee to reside in the small town of Nazareth.  One day Jesus approaches the Judean, the one called John the Baptist, who after some convincing baptizes Jesus.  And then, according to Matthew, when Jesus came up from the waters of baptism, an epiphany:

 

“…..suddenly the heavens were opened to him and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, ‘this is my son, the beloved,’ with whom I am well pleased.’”

 

We too, as Christians and in the name of Jesus the son of God, are baptized.  Some as youngsters and others as adults, we are baptized to remind us of the covenant bond God has made with all of us through water and spirit.   A covenant relationship is established to be nurtured between each of us and God:  Father and Son and Holy Spirit.  Our task as Christians is to find ways to grow into this covenant as Jesus’ disciples.

So to put this in the context of New Year Resolutions:  What disciplines do we nurture as Christians?  Several are obvious: 

 

         1.         We can & should maintain the discipline of regular worship…giving glory to God for the gift God has given us in Jesus….. 

 

2.         We can & should step up in our commitment to find more time for personal study and devotions….

 

3.         We can & should  find ways to serve our lord by actively finding ways to share the gospel of care and compassion with others…..

 

4.         We can & should find more  time to talk with others about our personal relationship with God without proselytizing.   We can & do spend countless hours talking about the work of the church – budgets and building issues and programs….but what about spending more time in finding ways to share our faith?   What we believe?  Who Christ is to us?

 

The first resolution this morning:  Remember your baptism and what you can do with what God has given you through faith in Jesus Christ!

 

                                         III. Jesus is Lord and Savior

 

The second resolution is to revisit and renew the affirmation that “Jesus is  Lord and Savior”.  This is the affirmation we make when baptized.  This is the affirmation that links us with Christians in churches throughout time and from far and near.  While there may be doctrinal differences and how we govern ourselves as churches, it is baptism and faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior that creates a bond between all Christians.

 

Let’s remember this affirmation as we make our plans and as decisions.  Let’s remember to place Jesus into the “MIX” of all the different things we do each and every day. 

 

In thinking this past week about resolutions, I wonder what difference it would make if we were to intentionally placed Jesus next to every decision?  What would Jesus have me do?  What difference would it make in living and doing things in fresh new ways, healthier ways, to be affirming Jesus is walking with us as we make adjustments and changes in our lives?

 

First resolution:  Remember your Baptism.  The second resolution:  to live each and every day affirming that Jesus is Lord and Savior—who wants to be part of all we do in living our lives as Christians! 

 

                                      IV. Called to be Clothed in Christ

 

The third resolution that can help us live as baptized Christians in the name of Jesus Lord and Savior:  Let’s clothe ourselves in Christ.  Let’s put on Christ just as we put on socks and shoes.  Let’s clothe ourselves in Christ so people around us will always see what we are wearing – wearing our faith in the one we call Lord who is also savior of us all! 

 

Listen for a moment to these edited words of scripture—Paul in contemporary language writing to the Ephesians (6: 10-17): 

 

Get up!  Put on Christ!  Be strong this day in the Lord and his mighty power.   

Get up!  Put on Christ!  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the schemes of evil forces we encounter every day!   For our struggle is against the Herod’s and the powers and principalities that pull us away from the light of God… 

          Get up!  Put on Christ!  Put on the full armor of Christ so that when evil comes

           you may be able to stand your ground with readiness that comes from the gospel of

           peace….

Get up!  Put on Christ!  Put on Christ’s shield of faith and helmet of salvation which is the Word of God—THE BIBLE IS OUR SHIELD OF FAITH!

Imagine getting up in the morning.  We go through a number of essential routines in preparing for the day.  We wash and brush our teeth.  We eat breakfast; drink our juice or coffee.  There is usually a chance to catch a weather report and some local news.

 

What is in your essential routines?   Another essential component to each day:  What does God want from me today?   In what ways can I / should I wear Christ in what I have planned for this day? 

 

Some simple resolutions:  “I want to smile more today?”  Another resolution “I want to be a better listener in hearing what others are really saying?”   “I want to look for the good in everyone I encounter this day?” 

 

One simple resolution I am trying:  I want to address more people I encounter each and every day on a first-name basis.  I want to try to remember more names?  [Like Rebecca, the young lady who gives me my pop and ______ at Rallies]        

 

                                                V.  Conclusion

 

We are beginning another year in the life of the church.  We have been going through these routines of starting each year since 1867 – that’s over 146-147 years!  Clothed in Christ, what’s going to be different for us – you and me – this year? 

 

To recapture the resolutions I suggest this morning: 

 

1.     Remember Your Baptism.  Manifestation or Epiphany or Revelation of Jesus for all humanity through all time is always with us—we recognize and welcome his presence or not. 

 

2.     Remember Jesus is Lord and Savior!  The one who came to this world to save us from our sins “Manifests” himself in our lives as the living Body of Christ. 

 

3.     Finally, let’s figure out how wear or be “clothed” in Christ!  This is the most practical of all the suggestions or resolutions I can give you this morning.  In what ways can we be intentional in recognizing Jesus as part of everything we do… everything. 

 

Resolutions.  Something to strive for.  Whatever you resolve to be doing this coming year, I can assure you of one thing.  You cannot faith in placing your lives in the hands of Jesus our Lord.  God never fails us.  That is our hope.  That is God’s promise. 

 

AMEN.